m 


G.G  Rock  wood  Phot. 


INCIDENTS  OF  A  TRIP 


THROUGH   THE 


GRE-A.T 


TO   THE 


ROOKY  MOUNTAINS 

AND 

LA.RA.MIE    FLA.HSTS 

IN  THE  FALL  OF  1866, 

WITH  A  SYNOPTICAL  ST..,  LATENT  OP  THE  VARIOUS  PACIFIC  RAILROADS, 


AND  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  GREAT 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD  EXCURSION 


TO  THE  ONE  HUNDREDTH  MERIDIAN  0?  LONGITUDE. 


SECOND    EDITION. 


Nero  fork: 

D.    VAN    NOSTRAND,    No.    192    BROADWAY. 
18G7. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1867, 
BY  D.  VAN  NOSTRAND. 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District 

of  New  York. 


Bmcroft 


TO  MAJOR-GENERAL  JOHN  A.  DIX, 

President  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  ; 

American  Minister  to  the  Court  of  France,  etc. 

GENEBAL  :  The  following  narrative  of  personal  inci- 
dents, connected  with  a  professional  visit  to  the  Eocky 
Mountains,  and  Laramie  Plains,  during  the  months  of 
September,  October  and  November  of  the  past  year,  in 
company  with  Hon.  Jesse  L.  Williams,  Government 
Director,  and  Gen.  G.  M.  Dodge,  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Eailroad,  was  originally  written  for,  and 
all  but  the  last  three  numbers,  published  in  the  "  New 
York  Times." 

Your  appointment  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  as  Foreign  Minister,  made  it  necessary  for  you  to 
leave  the  country  before  the  numbers  were  all  published ; 
and  also  prevented  you,  much  to  the  disappointment  of 
yourself  as  well  as  of  your  associates  in  the  management 
of  the  road,  from  participating  in  the  great  celebration 
of  the  completion  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad  to  the 
one  hundredth  meridian  of  longitude,  which  is  imper- 
fectly described  in  the  last  numbers. 

I  have,  therefore,  taken  the  liberty  of  collecting, 
revising,  and  dedicating  them  to  you,  in  their  present 


4  .     TO  MAJOR-GENERAL  JOHN  A.  DIX. 

form,  hoping  that  their  perusal  may  afford  you  some 
pleasure  in  your  moments  of  relaxation  from  the  cares 
and  responsibilities  connected  with  your  high  official 
position. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  General, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

SILAS  SEYMOUR 
NEW  YORK,  Feb.  1, 1867. 


CONTENTS. 


I. — New  York  to  Pittsburgh — Chicago — Omaha — Fort  Kearny  and 
Denver — Trip  over  the  Union  Pacific  Kailroad — Visit  of  Govern- 
ment Directors — First  View  of  the  Eocky  Mountains — Denver  City. 

II.— Denver  City  to  Golden  City— Idaho— Empire  City  and  Berthoud 
Pass — Valley  of  Clear  Creek— Mining  Operations— Scenery  of  the 
Eocky  Mountains — Mountain  Serenade — Mr.  Williams'  Letter. 

in. — Snow  Storm  in  the  Eocky  Mountains — Empire  City  to  Idaho, 
Central,  Golden,  and  Denver  Cities — Virginia  Canon — Eussell 
Gulch— Quartz  Mills  at  Black-Hawk — Junction  Eanch— Guy's  Hill 
— Clear  Creek  Cailon — Entrance  into  Denver. 

IV. — Colorado  Agricultural  Fair — Denver  to  Laporte — Over  the  Black- 
Hill-Eange  to  Virginia  Dale — Stone- wall  Canon — Steamboat  Butte — 
Antelope  Pass,  and  Laramie  Plains — Arrival  at  Fort  John  Buford. 

V.— A  Day  at  Fort  John  Buford— Mr.  Williams'  Letter— Eastward 
Bound— Death  of  the  Elk-Stag—Crossing  the  Black  Hills  at 
Evan's  Pass — Descent  towards  the  Plains — Lone  Eock — Camp 
on  Dale  Creek — A  Herd  of  Elk — Camps  on  Lone-Tree  and  Box- 
Elder  Creeks — Death  of  the  Antelope — Eeturn  to  Laporte. 

VI. — Parting  Supper  at  Laporte — Eeturn  Trip  to  Denver,  Kearny  and 
Omaha — Mr.  Williams'  Theory — Ben  Holladay  and  his  Friends- 
Tribute  to  T.  C.  Durant — Eemarkable  Progress  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Eailroad — Arrival  at  Omaha — Troubles  at  the  Herndon  House — 
Departure  of  Mr.  Williams. 

VII. — Two  Weeks  at  Omaha — Wild  Geese  and  Duck  Shooting — Advent 
of  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Agents  on  their  way  to  Denver — 
Parting  Speech  of  Mr.  Tappen — Anticipated  Arrival  of  the  great 


6  CONTENTS. 

Pacific  Kailroad  Excursion — Antecedents  and  Objects  of  the  Excur- 
sion— Synopsis  of  Pacific  Eailroads — Speech  of  General  Simpson — 
Departure  of  Excursion  from  New  York — Arrival  at  Chicago,  Saint 
Joseph,  and  Omaha — Reception  and  Ball  at  Omaha . 

VIII. — Morning  after  the  Ball — The  Excursion  Train — All  on  Board — 
Its  Progress  Westward — The  Great  Platte  Valley  — Stations  on  the 
Road — Arrival  at  Columbus — Camping  Out  on  the  Plains — Indian 
War  Dance — Morning  Serenade — Town  of  Columbus — Sham  Indian 
Fight— Presents  to  the  Indians — Contrast  between  Civilized  and 
Savage  Life— Train  still  Going  Westward — Way  Stations  on  the 
Eoad — Arrival  at  Camp  No.  Two — Military  Encampment — Another 
Night  in  Camp — Morning  Exercises — Departure  of  the  Elkhorns — 
List  of  Excursionists — End  of  Track  found  at  last — Buffalo  and 
Antelope  Hunters — Dinner  in  Camp — Fireworks  on  the  Plains — 
Third  Night  in  Camp — Homeward  Bound — One-Hundredth  Meridian 
— Prairie-Dog  City — Fire  on  the  Prairies — Return  to  Omaha — 
Departure  of  Excursionists  Eastward — Their  Safe  Arrival  Home. 

IX. — Public  Reception  at  Chicago — Resolutions — Speeches  of  Mayor 
Rice,  Mr.  C.  A.  Lambard,  and  Senator  B.  F.  Wade — General 
J.  H.  Simpson's  Letter  from  North  Platte  Station — Death  of 
General  Curtis— Conclusion. 


WESTERN    INCIDENTS. 


I. 


NEW  YORK  TO  PITTSBURGH,  CHICAGO,  OMAHA,  FORT  KEARNY,  AND  DEN- 
VER  TRIP  OVER  THE  UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD VISIT  OF  GOV- 
ERNMENT DIRECTORS — FIRST  VIEW  OF  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS 

DENVER   CITY. 

DENVEE  CITY,  COLOEADO,  Monday,  Sept.  17,  1866. 

IT  is  now  about  two  weeks  since  I  left  New  York,  in 
company  with  the  Government  Directors  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Bailroad,  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  the  rapid 
construction  of  that  greatest  of  modern  enterprises ;  and 
also  examining  the  different  routes  which  have  been  pro- 
posed for  the  road  through  the  passes  of  the  Eocky 
Mountains  ;  and  it  seems  to  me  that  during  that  time  I 
have  learned  more  of  the  vast  extent  and  resources  of 
our  continent  than  I  had  ever  known  before. 

Leaving  New  York  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  Septem- 
ber, by  the  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania  Central  Bail- 
roads,  we  arrived  at  Pittsburgh  on  the  5th  for  dinner, 
after  which  we  were  placed  in  the  Government  Presiden- 
tial car,  which  conveyed  us  most  comfortably  to  Chicago 
in  time  to  witness  the  interesting  ceremonies  of  laying 
the  corner-stone  of  the  Douglas  monument,  pay  our 
respects  to  the  Presidential  party,  and  hear  the  elo- 
quent address  of  General  Dix. 

On  Friday  evening,  the  7th,  we  continued  our  journey 
from  Chicago  westward  over  the  Iowa  division  of  tho 


8  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

Chicago  and  Northwestern  Eailroad,  in  the  magnificent 
Directors'  car,  which  was  kindly  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Government  Directors  by  Mr.  Dunlap,  the  Gen- 
eral Superintendent,  and  which  conveyed  us  to  the  end 
of  the  track,  a  distance  of  about  four  hundred  miles  west 
of  Chicago.  From  this  point  we  were  compelled  to  make 
the  balance  of  the  distance  to  Omaha,  about  ninety  miles, 
by  stage.  The  rails  are  to  be  laid,  however,  upon  this 
portion  of  the  route  by  the  1st  of  April  next. 

We  arrived  at  Omaha,  the  eastern  terminus  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Eailroad,  on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  and 
spent  the  day  in  examining  the  extensive  shops  of  the 
Company,  which  have  all  been  constructed  within  the 
past  year. 

TRIP   OVER   THE   UNION   PACIFIC   RAILROAD. 

On  the  morning  of  the  llth,  the  Directors  accom- 
panied by  Gen.  G.  M.  Dodge,  Chief  Engineer,  Major 
Bent,  Major  Chesbrough  and  myself,  took  a  special 
train,  in  charge  of  Mr.  S.  B.  Reed,  the  General  Super- 
intendent, for  the  end  of  the  track,  which  was  then  laid 
two  hundred  and  seventeen  miles  westward,  in  the  Great 
Platte  Valley.  We  arrived  opposite  Fort  Kearny  at  four 
p.  M.,  having  passed  over  two  hundred  miles  of  road  in 
eight  hours,  or  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  miles  an  hour. 

It  may  not  be  improper  to  state  in  this  connection, 
that  only  forty  miles  of  track  were  laid  on  this  road  dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  1865.  And  the  balance,  or  about 
one  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  has  been  laid  during  the 
present  season ;  and  the  track-laying  is  now  progressing 
so  rapidly  that  it  will  reach  the  crossing  of  the  North 
Platte  river,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-five 
miles  from  Omaha,  by  the  1st  of  November. 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAELROAD. 


VISIT   OF   GOVERNMENT   DIRECTORS. 

The  law  requires  the  President  of  the  United  States  to 
appoint  five  Directors  to  represent  the  Government  in 
the  management  of  the  road.  And  it  also  requires  these 
Directors  to  visit  the  road  as  often  as  they  think  proper, 
and  make  a  report  upon  its  condition,  management,  and 
progress,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  these  Directors — Hon. 
George  Ashmun,  of  Mass. ;  Hon.  Jesse  L.  "Williams,  of 
Ind. ;  Hon.  T.  J.  Carter,  of  HI.;  Hon.  Springer  Har- 
baugh,  of  Penn. ;  and  Hon.  Charles  T.  Sherman,  of  Ohio. 
Mr.  Ashmun  did  not  accompany  the  party. 

Our  party  separated  at  Kearny  Station,  and  three  of 
the  Government  Directors,  Messrs.  Harbaugh,  Carter, 
and  Sherman,  remained  on  the  north  side  of  the  Platte 
for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  the  balance  of  the  com- 
pleted portion  of  the  road,  and  then  returning  eastward. 
"While  the  other  Government  Director,  Hon.  Jesse  L. 
Williams,  who  is  also  an  engineer  of  great  experience, 
together  with  Gen.  G.  M.  Dodge,  Major  Chesbrough 
and  myself,  crossed  over  to  the  stage  station,  near  Fort 
Kearny,  for  the  purpose  of  continuing  our  journey  by 
stage  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 


FROM  FORT  KEARNY  TO  DENVER  CITY. 

We  left  Fort  Kearny  at  one  P.  M.,  on  Wednesday,  the 
12th  inst.,  and  arrived  at  Denver  at  ten  A.  M.,  on  the  fol- 
lowing Saturday,  making  the  entire  distance  of  four  hun- 
dred miles  in  less  than  three  days  and  nights.  The 
speed,  comfort,  and  regularity  of  these  Ben  Holladay 
Overland  stages  is  certainly  astonishing,  when  we  con- 


10  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

sider  the  fact  that  they  pass  through  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  miles  of  almost  uninhabited  country  ;  and  that  it 
is  only  five  years  since  the  experiment  was  first  attempted. 
Our  party  was  exceedingly  fortunate  in  falling  in  company 
with  Gen.  Hughes,  the  attorney  of  the  Stage  Company, 
who,  with  his  daughter,  accompanied  us  from  Omaha  to 
Denver. 


FIRST  VIEW  OF  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS. 

Our  first  view  of  the  Eocky  Mountains  was  from  a 
point  on  the  Plains  about  one  hundred  miles  distant, 
and  about  an  hour  before  sunset  on  Friday  evening,  the 
14th  inst.  A  heavy  cloud  had  been  lying  along  the  west- 
ern horizon  during  the  whole  afternoon,  and  it  was  feared 
that  we  should  not  obtain  the  long  coveted  view  before 
the  following  morning ;  but,  fortunately,  the  sun  broke 
through  and  dispelled  the  lower  belt  of  clouds  just  in  time 
to  give  us  a  magnificent  view  of  the  entire  range,  and  en- 
able us  to  see  the  setting  of  the  sun  behind  Long's  Peak, 
the  highest  in  the  range. 


DENVER  CITY. 

The  appearance  of  Denver,  as  you  approach  it  from 
the  east,  is  not  very  imposing.  The  town  is  situated  in 
the  valley  of  the  South  Platte,  at  the  mouth  of  Cherry 
Creek,  about  twelve  miles  in  a  direct  line  from  the  base 
of  the  mountains.  And  the  swell,  or  elevation  of  the 
plain  to  the  eastward,  hides  it  from  view  until  you  ap- 
proach within  about  three  miles  of  the  town.  It  then 
bursts  upon  the  view  as  if  by  magic ;  and  presents  a 
most  comfortable  and  inviting  appearance  to  the  weary 
traveller  from  the  Plains,  who  has  seen  nothing  but  log 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILKOAD.  11 

and  adobe  ranches,  at  intervals  of  ten  and  twenty  miles, 
for  many  long  and  weary  days  and  nights. 

Denver  boasts  of  four  or  five  thousand  inhabitants. 
The  streets  are  regularly  laid  out ;  and  there  are  many 
fine  brick  blocks,  either  constructed  or  in  course  of  COQ- 
struction.  You  can  purchase  almost  anything  here  that 
can  be  purchased  in  New  York,  but  at  prices  from  fifty 
to  one  hundred  per  cent,  higher.  The  hotels  are  very 
ordinary.  Nothing  would  improve  the  town  more  than 
the  construction  of  two  or  three  first-class  hotels. 

We  are  about  to  start  on  our  trip  through  the  moun- 
tains by  way  of  Golden  City,  Idaho,  and  Empire  City, 
to  Berthoud's  Pass. 

General  Dodge  and  Major  Chesbrough  will  go  from 
here  directly  to  Laporte,  where  Mr.  Williams  and  myself 
are  to  join  them  after  our  return  from  the  mountains. 


12  'WESTEKN  INCIDENTS. 


II. 


DENVER  CITY  TO  GOLDEN  CITY — IDAHO EMPIRE  CITY,  AND  BERTHOUD 

PASS VALLEY  OF  CLEAR  CREEK MINING   OPERATIONS SCEN- 
ERY  OF  THE    ROCKY    MOUNTAINS — MOUNTAIN   SERENADE MR. 

WILLIAMS'  LETTER. 

EMPIEE  CITY,  COLOEADO,  September  19,  1866. 

Hon.  Jesse  L.  Williams,  one  of  the  Government  Direc- 
tors of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  myself,  accom- 
panied on  horseback  by  Mr.  P.  T.  Brown,  the  Assistant 
Engineer,  who  had  been  making  the  surveys  for  the 
road  through  this  wild  and  forbidding  portion  of  the 
route,  started  out  from  Denver  on  the  morning  of  the 
17th,  in  a  comfortable  covered  carriage,  drawn  by  a  pair 
of  lazy,  broken  down  mules,  these  being  considered  the 
most  safe  and  reliable  for  the  rough  mountain  roads  we 
were  to  traverse.  The  outfit,  as  all  conveyances  are 
designated  in  this  country,  was  under  the  special  charge 
of  Mr.  Brooks,  a  most  venerable  and  experienced  moun- 
taineer and  driver.  Our  objective  point  was  Berthoud 
Pass,  and  our  route  lay  up  the  Valley  of  Clear  Creek,  or 
as  near  it  as  the  road  would  allow  us  to  travel. 

From  Denver,  the  base  of  the  mountains  appears  so 
near  as  to  invite  a  short  morning  walk  to  them  before 
breakfast ;  but  we  only  reached  them  after  a  long  two 
hours'  ride  of  twelve  miles,  behind  our  ".safe  and  reli- 
able" mules,  over  the  intervening  plains.  We  entered 
the  somewhat  broken  and  irregular  base  of  the  first 
range,  or  Table  Mountain,  as  it  is  called,  through  the 
opening  made  by  the  Valley  of  Clear  Creek,  instead  of  by 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  13 

the  regularly  travelled  road  some  miles  further  south ; 
and  made  our  first  halt  at  Golden  City,  fourteen  miles 
from  Denver.  This  place  is  most  beautiful  for  situation ; 
and  should  have  been  the  great  commercial  city  for  the 
mining  interests  of  this  portion  of  Colorado.  But  Den- 
ver, during  the  Cherry  Creek  excitement  years  ago, 
obtained  a  long  distance  the  start  of  it,  and  will,  from 
present  appearances,  retain  the  advantage.  Here  we 
found  iron-ore,  coal  and  fire-clay  in  abundance,  all  which 
will,  sooner  or  later,  be  turned  to  good  account. 


GETTING-  INTO  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

It  being  impossible  to  follow  further  up  the  Valley  of 
Clear  Creek,  on  account  of  the  intervening  canon  extend- 
ing some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  in  our  proper  direction, 
we  were  obliged  to  make  a  detour  to  the  south,  and  enter 
the  next  range  through  a  less  formidable  gorge,  up  which 
a  very  good  road  had  been  made  in  the  direction  of  Idaho 
and  Empire  Cities.  We  stopped  an  hour  for  a  very  good 
dinner  at  the  Genessee  Ranch,  where  we  were  overtaken 
by  our  very  intelligent  and  eccentric  friend  Wolfe,  whose 
acquaintance  we  had  made  at  Denver,  and  who  was 
wending  his  way  to  his  mines  in  the  mountains  with  a 
load  of  enormous  cabbages,  turnips,  water,  musk  and 
other  melons,  the  products  of  his  large  and  well-cultiva- 
ted Eanch  on  Clear  Creek,  near  Denver.  After  regaling 
us  for  dessert  with  one  of  his  finest  melons,  Mr.  Wolfe 
opened  to  us  his  plans  of  a  new  process  for  separating 
the  precious  metals  from  the  quartz ;  and  also  his  theory 
for  the  extinction  of  cholera ;  all  which,  particularly  the 
melons,  it  is  needless  to  say,  met  with  our  unqualified 
approbation. 


14  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 


CLEAR  CREEK  VALLEY. 

Our  road  towards  Idaho  now  lay  over  a  very  rough, 
precipitous  country,  to  a  point  a  few  miles  below  that 
city,  where  we  again  struck  the  Valley  of  Clear  Creek. 
As  we  followed  along  the  abrupt  windings  of  this  valley, 
we  were  continually  reminded  of  the  insatiate  thirst  of 
man  for  the  filthy  lucre  gold,  by  the  broken  and  decay- 
ing flumes  and  water  wheels,  and  the  crumbling  and 
half-refilled  excavations  in  the  banks  along  the  stream, 
which  had  been  made  and  used  by  the  earlier  pioneers  in 
their  search  for  hidden  treasure.  Some  two  miles  below 
Idaho  we  passed  the  extensive  and  more  permanent 
works,  now  being  erected  for  the  same  purpose,  by  Gen. 
Beaufort  for  an  Eastern  company  of  capitalists. 


A  NIGHT   AT   IDAHO. 

At  early  dusk  we  found  ourselves  in  front  of  the  Beebe 
House,  in  Idaho,  acknowledged  to  be  the  best  hotel  in 
Colorado,  with  good  mountain  appetites  for  an  excellent 
supper  which  awaited  us.  Our  venerable  driver,  and  part 
owner  of  our  outfit,  was  almost  exhausted  by  his  continuous 
wallopings  of  the  mules ;  and  our  mules  (or  rather  horses 
by  brevet,  since  the  close  of  the  war),  were  hors  de  com- 
bat from  the  effects  of  a  long  drive  over  rough  roads,  and 
the  aforesaid  wallopings  of  the  venerable  driver.  On  en- 
tering the  hotel  I  was  most  agreeably  surprised  to  find 
that  it  was  owned  and  kept  by  old  and  familiar  friends 
from  Sullivan  county,  New  York;  which  fact  rendered 
our  short  stay  exceedingly  pleasant.  The  hot  springs, 
ample  bathing,  and  hotel  accommodations,  render  this 
place  the  Saratoga  of  the  mountains  for  the  good  people 
of  Denver  and  adjacent  cities. 


UNION  PACIFIC  KAILROAD.  15 


ARRIVAL  AT  EMPIRE  CITY. 

An  early  breakfast  enabled  us  to  reach  Empire  City, 
eleven  miles  further  up  the  valley,  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  At  no  point  along  our  road  were  we  out  of 
view  of  the  gulch  and  mountain  mining  operations, 
being  carried  on  by  the  sturdy  and  adventurous  moun- 
taineers. 

Mr.  Brown  had  informed  us  that  we  could  not  travel 
with  our  carriage  nearer  than  a  point  about  two  miles 
from  the  pass;  and  that  it  would  therefore  be  neces- 
sary for  Mr.  Williams  and  myself  to  procure  saddle- 
horses  at  Empire  for  the  balance  of  our  journey.  This, 
together  with  our  hasty  lunch,  detained  us  about  an  hour 
at  Empire  City.  In  the  meantime  we  were  informed  by 
gentlemen  at  Empire,  that  we  could  not  make  the  ascent 
to  the  pass  and  return  during  the  afternoon,  and  had, 
therefore,  better  defer  the  trip  till  morning.  Mr.  Wil- 
liams, however,  was  too  anxious  to  take  a  glimpse  of  the 
Pacific  slope  of  the  continent,  and  had  come  too  far  for 
that  purpose,  to  be  deterred  by  any  such  prognostications ; 
and  we  therefore  set  out  at  twelve  on  horseback,  after 
arranging  with  our  driver  to  meet  us  at  five  o'clock  with 
the  carriage,  at  the  foot  of  the  trail. 

Our  road,  still  following  the  Valley  of  Clear  Creek, 
was  quite  good  for  six  miles  of  the  distance,  to  the  foot 
of  the  trail  which  leads  from  the  wagon  road  up  the 
southerly  slope  of  the  valley  of  a  small  tributary  of  Clear 
Creek,  which  heads  near  Berthoud  Pass. 

We  made  our  way  slowly  up  the  trail  without  much 
difficulty,  although  in  many  places  the  path  was  quite 
steep  and  sideling,  reminding  one  of  the  ascent  as  made 
years  ago  from  the  Glen  House  to  Mount  Washington. 
We  dismounted  several  times  to  relieve  our  horses  and 


16  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

perhaps  for  greater  safety.  When  near  the  top  we 
started  up  a  bevy  of  mountain  grouse,  one  of  which  had 
the  audacity  to  sit  out  the  discharge  of  our  revolvers, 
upon  a  limb  within  twenty  feet  of  us,  without  evincing 
greater  emotion  than  an  occasional  wink  of  the  left  eye  ; 
but  after  our  pistols  were  unloaded,  Mr.  Brown  fired  a 
stone  at  the  bird,  which  struck  a  tree  near  by,  and  caused 
it  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  I  had  unfortunately  left  my 
rifle  and  fowling-piece  in  the  carriage. 


BERTHOUD  PASS. 

We  reached  Berthoud  Pass  at  two  P.  M.  on  Tuesday, 
September  18  ;  and  were,  for  the  first  time  in  our  lives, 
greeted  with  a  most  extended  and  magnificent  view  of 
the  Pacific  slope  of  the  Western  Continent.  The  sum- 
mit of  the  Pass  is  but  a  few  hundred  feet  below  the  tim- 
ber, or  arborescent  line ;  and  is  about  6,100  feet  above 
Denver  City,  and  11,200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
The  main  range,  or  divide  of  the  continent,  was  visible  to 
the  north  and  west  for  a  distance  of  100  miles  at  least, 
far  beyond  Long's  Peak,  which  reared  its  bald  head, 
spotted  with  eternal  snow,  high  above  the  average  level  of 
the  range.  After  spending  an  hour  upon  the  Pass,  and 
taking  such  note  of  the  topography  as  would  refresh  our 
memories  hereafter,  we  ascended  the  point  of  mountain 
south  of  the  Pass  to  an  elevation  several  hundred  feet 
above  the  tree  line,  from  which  the  view  of  Middle  Park, 
the  valley  of  a  tributary  of  Grand  River,  leading  west- 
ward from  the  Pass  ;  and  the  extended  westerly  slopes  of 
the  Rocky  Mountain  ranges,  formed  a  most  enchanting 
picture.  The  exhilarating  effects  of  the  high  mountain 
air  and  sublime  scenery,  inspired  Mr.  Williams  with  a 
desire  for  a  patriotic  song.  After  some  urging  from  Mr. 


UNION  PACIFIC   BAILKOAD.  17 

Brown  and  myself,  he  led  off  with  "  Sherman's  March  to 
the  Sea,"  Mr.  Brown  followed  with  the  "  Star  Spangled 
Banner,"  and  I  closed  the  exercises  with  Moore's  seren- 
ade "  Come  o'er  the  Sea,"  etc.,  after  the  style  of  Major 
Scholefield,  of  the  "  North  "Woods  Walton  Club."  The 
entire  range,  from  Long's  to  Pike's  Peak,  seemed  to  catch 
the  inspiration,  and  join  in  the  chorus. 

After  concluding  that  no  improvised  glee  club  had  ever 
performed  before  a  more  select  and  appreciative  audi- 
ence; and  after  refreshing  ourselves,  and  cooling  our 
over-taxed  throats  with  some  coarsely  granulated  snow, 
at  least  a  century  old,  which  lay  at  our  feet,  we  com- 
menced the  descent  at  four  in  the  afternoon. 

By  permission  of  Mr.  Williams,  I  take  pleasure  in  an- 
nexing the  following  letter  written  by  him  from  the  -sum- 
mit of  Berthoud  Pass  : — 


BERTHOUD  PASS,  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS,  j 
September  18, 1866.      f 

Editor  Fort  Wayne  Gazette: — 

Having  reached  the  summit  of  this  grand  mountain  range,  in  com- 
pany with  Col.  Seymour,  the  Consulting  Engineer  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad,  and  Mr.  Brown,  Assistant  Engineer,  my  first  impulse  is  to 
write  to  my  friends  at  home. 

One  of  the  experimental  surveys  for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  fol- 
lows Clear  Creek  to  this  Pass.  That  valley  was  therefore  our  route 
from  Denver,  fifty  miles  east,  bringing  us  through  a  rich  gold  mining 
district.  Eight  miles  back  we  took  saddle-horses,  rising  by  a  mule 
trail  sixteen  hundred  feet  in  the  last  one  and  a  half  miles.  The  point 
on  which  I  write  is  some  six  hundred  feet  above  the  Pass,  about  six 
thousand  seven  hundred  feet  above  Denver,  and  about  twelve  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea.  It  appears  to  be  some  two  or  three  hundred 
feet  above  the  line  of  arborescence,  or  "  tree  line,"  above  which  no 
timber  or  vegetation  grows.  Patches  of  last  winter's  snow  are  lying 
around  us  on  northern  slopes,  and  some  of  them  two  hundred  feet 
below.  The  proposed  railroad  tunnel  pierces  the  mountain  far  be- 


18  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

neath  us.    From  the  summit  the  waters  flow  to  the  Pacific  through 
the  Colorado  of  the  West,  and  to  the  Atlantic  through  the  Platte. 

Peaks,  five  hundred,  and  one  thousand  feet  higher  than  this,  are 
near  us,  while  Long's  Peak,  supposed  to  be  nearly  fifteen  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  is  in  full  view  forty  miles  to  the  northeast.  Daring 
the  next  two  weeks,  Col.  Seymour  and  myself  expect,  in  company  with 
Gen.  Dodge,  the  Chief  Engineer,  to  look  over  the  routes  surveyed 
across  the  Black  Hill  range,  one  hundred  miles  north  of  this  place. 

The  Union  Pacific  Railroad  is  under  rapid  progress.  In  November 
next  the  locomotive  is  expected  to  cross  the  bridge  over  the  North 
Platte,  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles  from  Omaha.  The  opening 
of  this  work  across  the  plains,  will  soon  make  the  people  of  the  States 
more  familiar  with  this  Rocky  Mountain  range  and  its  grand  scenery ; 
and,  what  is  more  important,  will  afford  ready  access  to  a  new  field  of 
enterprise  in  the  work  of  developing  its  vast  mineral  wealth. 

J.  L.  WILLIAMS. 

We  found  our  venerable  driver  at  the  foot  of  the  trail, 
as  per  arrangement ;  but  in  order  to  insure  his  return  to 
Empire  the  same  night,  he  had  taken  the  precaution  to 
exchange  his  mules  temporarily,  with  the  Empire  land- 
lord, for  a  pair  of  good  horses.  Mr.  Brown  and  myself 
kept  our  saddles  till  we  reached  Empire  City,  at  six  p.  M. ; 
but  Mr.  Williams,  participating  to  some  extent  in  the 
peculiar  characteristics  of  a  locomotive,  from  his  long 
ride  upon  the  back  of  old  "  Knock-um-Stiff,"  as  he  face- 
tiously styled  his  horse,  concluded  to  take  his  accustomed 
seat  in  the  carriage.  On  our  way  down  to  Empire  City, 
a  conspiracy  was  organized  by  our  venerable  driver  to 
make  a  permanent  exchange  of  his  mules  with  the  Empire 
landlord  for  his  horses,  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the 
scheme  was  not  successful. 

The  name  of  Bayard  Taylor,  that  greatest  of  descrip- 
tive travellers,  who  had  preceded  us  but  a  few  months 
over  Berthoud  Pass,  was  still  fresh  in  the  recollection  of 
the  mountain  residents  who  had  been  favored  with  his 
acquaintance. 


UNION  PACIFIC  EAILROAD.  19 


III. 

SNOW-STORM   IN   THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS EMPIRE  CITY  TO  IDAHO,  CEN- 
TRAL, GOLDEN  AND   DENVER   CITIES VIRGINIA    CANON RUSSELL 

GULCH QUARTZ  MILLS  AT  BLACK-HAWK JUNCTION  RANCH GUY7S 

HILL CLEAR  CREEK  CA^ON ENTRANCE  INTO  DENVER,  ETC.,  ETC. 

DENVER  CITY,  COLOBADO,  Thursday,  Sept.  20,  1866. 

ON  the  morning  of  September  19th,  we  awakened  at 
Empire  City  to  find  that  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a 
Eocky  Mountain  snow-storm.  The  weather  for  several 
days  previous  had  been  delightful — even  on  the  day 
before,  during  our  visit  to  Berthoud  Pass,  not  a  cloud 
had  bedimmed  the  sky  until  after  sunset,  when  thin,  hazy 
clouds  began  to  settle  below  the  mountain  tops  around 
us,  all  which,  we  were  told,  foreboded  a  storm. 

As  our  venerable  driver  had  not  succeeded  in  his 
attempt  to  impose  his  old  mules  upon  our  worthy  host  of 
the  Empire  House,  in  exchange  for  a  pair  of  horses,  we 
were  compelled  to  address  ourselves  to  our  return  jour- 
ney behind  these  much-abused  animals ;  and  he  to  resume 
his  powerful  persuasives  of  the  previous  two  days.  The 
snow  had  not  accumulated  to  any  great  extent  upon  the 
roads  ;  but  it  was  falling  fast,  and  prudence  enjoined  us 
to  be  early  on  our  way.  Our  hitherto  guide,  and  most 
intelligent  and  agreeable  travelling  companion,  Mr. 
Brown,  remained  at  Empire,  for  the  purpose,  when  the 
storm  abated,  of  rejoining  his  surveying  party  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Boulder  Pass. 


20  WESTEKN  INCIDENTS. 


RETURN  FROM  EMPIRE. 

Starting  out  at  eight,  we  reached  Idaho  at  ten  in  the 
morning,  and  stopped  a  few  minutes  to  say  some  parting 
words  to  our  friends  of  the  Beebe  House.  We  then 
commenced  the  ascent  of  the  Virginia  Canon,  and  the 
descent  of  Russell  Gulch,  a  distance  of  seven  miles  to 
Central  City,  which  we  reached  at  twelve. 

I  should  not  omit  to  mention,  that  in  driving  from 
Idaho  to  Empire  the  previous  morning,  we  had  met 
Messrs.  Gukin  and  Ford,  artists  from  Chicago,  who  were 
engaged  in  taking  some  mountain  views ;  and  were  on 
their  return  from  the  Parks,  where  they  had  been 
spending  the  summer  months.  At  their  invitation  we  had 
promised  to  call  at  their  camp  as  we  returned,  and  look 
over  their  pictures ;  but  the  morning  was  so  stormy, 
and  their  quarters  looked  so  uninviting,  that  we  con- 
tented ourselves  with  a  passing  salute,  and  a  promise  to 
visit  their  studios  in  Chicago  on  some  future  occasion. 
The  place  where  we  met  these  gentlemen  is  but  a  few 
miles  from  the  Chicago  Lakes,  the  scene  of  Bier- 
stadt's  great  painting  of  the  "Storm  in  the  Eocky 
Mountains." 

The  snow  had  fallen  to  a  depth  of  from  six  to  eight 
inches  on  our  arrival  at  Central  City ;  and  we  were  fully 
conscious  of  having  lost,  by  reason  of  the  thick-falling 
snow,  as  we  passed  down  Russell  Gulch  to  Central  City, 
many  fine  views,  as  well  as  a  passing  inspection  of  some 
of  the  finest  and  most  extensive  quartz  mining  and  crush- 
ing operations  now  being  carried  on  in  this  part  of  the 
Territory.  The  result,  however,  was  unavoidable,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  content  ourselves  with  such  information 
as  our  venerable  driver  could  give  us,  he  being 
familiar  with  the  country,  and  part  owner  of  some  of 


UNION  PACIFIC  KAILROAD.  21 

the  mines  around  us,  as  well  as  of  the  outfit  in  which  we 
were  travelling. 

CENTRAL  CITY. 

Central  City  seems  to  be  situated  at  the  confluence  of 
several  gulches,  which,  united,  form  the  north  branch  of 
Clear  Creek ;  and  the  streets  are  made  to  follow  the  wind- 
ings of  the  beds  of  the  streams.  The  houses  are  gen- 
erally built  upon  benches  cut  in  the  side  hill  for  the  dif- 
ferent stories,  with  basements  upon  the  streets ;  so  that, 
in  order  to  reach  the  cellar  or  back-yard,  you  are 
frequently  compelled  to  ascend  one  or  two  pairs  of 
stairs  from  the  office  or  dining-room  of  your  hotel.  I 
mention  this  fact,  not  so  much  the  result  of  my  own 
observation,  as  from  information  derived  from  my 
esteemed  friend  and  travelling  companion,  Mr.  Wil- 
liams, who  spent  at  least  a  half  hour  in  an  investi- 
gation of  the  subject,  immediately  upon  our  arrival  at  the 
hotel.  Central  City  boasts  of  several  thousand  inhab- 
itants, or,  at  least,  as  many  as  Denver.  We  noticed 
several  fine  blocks  of  brick  and  granite  buildings,  two  or 
three  large  banking  houses,  and  also  the  "  Big  Barn," 
situated  directly  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  and  which 
seems  to  be  the  general  corral  for  all  the  town  and  sur- 
rounding country. 

After  partaking  of  a  very  good  dinner,  and  giving  such 
attention  to  our  surroundings  as  the  gloomy  state  of  the 
weather  would  permit,  we  held  a  consultation  as  to  our 
future  movements.  It  had  been  our  intention,  on  leav- 
ing Denver,  to  spend  the  present  afternoon  and  night 
here,  which  would  give  us  an  opportunity  to  examine 
many  of  the  mines,  as  well  as  quartz  mills  in  the  vicinity. 
Mr.  Chaffee,  Senator-elect  from  this  forthcoming  State, 
whom  wo  had  met  in  Denver,  had  very  kindly  promised 


22  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

to  meet  us  here  and  show  us  about ;  but  the  violent  storm 
had  evidently  prevented  his  coming. 

It  had  also  been  our  desire  and  intention  to  spend  the 
one  or  two  following  days  in  an  examination  of  the  Boul- 
der Valley  and  Pass,  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Bawlins, 
whose  works  are  situated  on  the  Boulder  ;  and  whom  we 
had  met  in  Denver ;  but  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found. 
The  storm  was  still  raging  and  the  weather  growing  colder. 
Icicles  a  foot  in  length  were  hanging  from  the  eaves  of 
the  houses.  Our  venerable  driver  and  more  venerable 
mules  also  became  objects  of  our  deepest  solicitude — the 
driver  claiming  that  the  outfit  was  unfit  to  go  further  this 
stormy  day  ;  but  if  we  would  let  him  and  the  mules  rest 
till  to-morrow  morning,  he  would  then  drive  us  to  Denver 
(forty  miles),  or  perish  in  the  attempt. 

We  finally  concluded  that,  as  the  main  object  of  our 
journey  had  been  accomplished ;  and  as  the  state  of  the 
weather  rendered  a  further  examination  of  mountain 
passes  and  scenery  exceedingly  unpropitious  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  we  would  turn  our  faces  toward  Denver,  with  a 
view  of  reaching  there  on  the  following  night.  To  insure 
this  result,  it  appeared  important  that  we  should  accom- 
plish a  portion  of  the  distance  during  the  present  after- 
noon. We  therefore  set  out  again  in  the  storm  at  four 
p.  M.,  with  the  intention  of  reaching  the  Junction  Banch, 
nine  miles  distant,  before  nightfall. 

BLACK-HAWK  AND  LYONS  MILLS. 

On  OUT  way  down  the  valley  of  North  Clear  Creek,  we 
passed  through  the  town  of  Black-Hawk,  about  two  miles 
below  Central  City,  where  we  stopped  an  hour  to  examine 
two  of  the  largest  quartz  mills  now  in  operation  in  this 
valley.  One,  the  Black-Hawk  mill,  which  adheres  to  the 


UNION  PACIFIC   RAILEOAD.  23 

old  method  of  stamping  and  washing  the  ores  from  the 
quartz  ;  and  the  other,  the  Lyons  mill,  in  which  the  new 
process  of  decomposing  the  quartz  and  separating  the 
ores  by  the  action  of  heat,  is  being  carried  on. 

This  matter  of  separating  the  precious  metals  from  the 
quartz,  is  one  of  vast  importance  to  the  mining  interests 
of  Colorado  ;  and  he  who  shall  first  succeed  in  economi- 
cally and  successfully  accomplishing  the  object,  will  be 
entitled  to  the  lasting  gratitude  of  "  all  the  world  and  the 
rest  of  mankind."  The  exact  and  proper  process  seems 
yet  to  be  hidden  in  the  womb  of  the  future  ;  and  many 
an  alchemist  is  now  racking  his  brain,  and  experimenting 
in  his  crucible  over  his  midnight  lamp,  in  the  hope  of 
first  discovering  this  great  secret  in  chemical  science, 
which  the  Almighty  has,  for  some  great  and  wise  purpose, 
thus  far  withheld  from  us. 

JUNCTION,   OB  BOUTWELL'S   RANCH. 

Our  journey  up  the  long  hill  of  four  or  five  miles, 
between  the  valley  of  Clear  Creek  and  Junction,  was 
most  tedious  and  uncomfortable.  Like  most  other  ob- 
stacles in  this  world,  however,  it  was  finally  surmounted ; 
and  on  descending  one  or  two  miles  beyond  the  summit, 
we  found  ourselves  in  front  of  a  most  excellent  and  hos- 
pitable Eanch,  kept  by  Mr.  Boutwell,  with  a  huge  fire 
blazing  from  a  large,  old-fashioned  fire-place,  inviting  us 
to  comfort  and  repose. 

A  hearty  supper,  good  night's  rest,  and  early  breakfast, 
enabled  us  on  the  following  morning  to  resume  our  jour- 
ney with  every  prospect  of  reaching  Denver  before  night. 
The  storm  had  passed  over,  and  the  weather  was  clear 
and  cold — snow  one  foot  deep,  ice  one  inch  thick,  and  the 
thermometer  sixteen  degrees  above  zero.  Our  venerable 
driver  was  also  in  high  spirits  at  the  prospect  of  a  speedy 


24  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

termination  of  his  arduous  labors.  He  had  frequently 
bemoaned  his  fate  in  having,  at  his  age,  and  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life,  become  reduced  to  the  level  of  a  common 
mule  driver.  The  near  sorrel  mule,  whose  thick  and 
unfeeling  hide  had,  for  three  long  days,  been  the  recipi- 
ent of  unceasing  wallopings  from  the  driver's  almost 
worn-out  whip  and  nearly  disabled  arm,  seemed  to  be 
inspired  with  the  idea  that  he  was  approaching  the  end 
of  his  journey.  His  long  ears,  instead  of  flopping  list- 
lessly back  upon  his  neck,  suddenly  assumed  a  rigid  posi- 
tion a  little  forward  of  the  perpendicular  ;  and  away  he 
went  over  the  almost  trackless  road,  down  hills,  through 
caverns,  gulches  and  gorges,  at  a  rate  which  seemed  to 
hazard  the  safety  of  our  outfit,  to  say  nothing  of  our 
own  lives  and  limbs,  till  we  reached  the  foot  of  Guy's 
Hill,  which  suddenly  stretched  its  huge  and  uncouth 
sides  directly  athwart  our  path. 

GUY'S   HILL. 

The  road  up  this  formidable  hill  is  located  upon  the 
zigzag  principle — that  is,  it  switches  back  and  forth  in 
the  gorges,  and  along  the  rough  mountain  sides  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  two  miles  from  the  base  to  the  summit. 
Fearful  tales  were  told  us  by  our  driver,  of  the  many  acci- 
dents and  hair-breadth  escapes  which  had  occurred  here ; 
and  we  were  impressed  with  the  idea  that  so  important  a 
thoroughfare,  and  one  over  which  so  large  a  traffic  be- 
tween Denver,  and  the  heart  of  the  mining  regions  about 
Central  City,  was  necessarily  carried  on,  should  have  been 
made  to  follow  the  equally  direct,  and  far  more  gentle  and 
uniform  grades  of  the  Valley  of  Clear  Creek.  This  will, 
as  a  matter  of  economy,  if  not  necessity,  be  done  sooner 
or  later,  either  by  railroad  or  turnpike. 

Having  safely  reached  the  high  summit  of  Guy's  Hill, 
our  descent  through  Golden  Gate  to  Golden  City,  a  dis- 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILBOAD.  25 

tance  of  sixteen  miles  from  the  junction,  was  speedy  and 
uninterrupted. 


CLEAR  CREEK  CANON-IRON  AND  COAL. 

Mr.  Williams  was  desirous  here,  if  time  permitted,  of 
making  some  further  examination  and  notes  of  the  coal 
and  iron  deposits ;  and  also  of  the  lower  end  of  the  Clear 
Creek  canon.  Halting  therefore,  at  eleven  o'clock,  at  the 
Cheney  House,  we  were  speedily  furnished  with  excellent 
saddle-horses,  through  the  kindness  of  Messrs.  Loveland 
and  Fisher,  the  former  of  whom  accompanied  us  some 
distance  up  the  canon;  and  also  over  a  considerable  ex- 
tent of  the  outcroppings  of  iron-ore  and  coal,  of  which  he 
is  the  principal  owner.  After  which,  and  the  partaking 
of  a  very  good  dinner,  in  company  with  the  stage  passen- 
gers from  Denver  to  Central  City,  we  resumed  our  jour- 
ney to  Denver. 

The  snow  had  nearly  disappeared  from  the  surface  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  ranges ;  and  had  left  in  its  place 
a  deep  salvy  mud,  which  rendered  the  roads  heavy  and 
tedious.  The  near  sorrel  mule  had  evidently  lost  much 
of  the  interest  in  our  progress  which  he  had  so  satisfac- 
torily manifested  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  dayj  and  his 
ears  (that  unfailing  indication  of  a  mule's  thoughts)  were 
manifestly  tending  considerably  backward  of  the  perpen- 
dicular. Our  venerable  driver's  right  arm,  however,  had 
become  well  rested,  and  he  was  able,  by  its  constant  use, 
to  reach  Denver  by  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

ENTRANCE   INTO    DENVER. 

It  was,  however,  at  this  last  stage  in  our  eventful  jour- 
ney, and  when  near  its  termination,  that  Mr.  Williams' 

2 


26  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

commendable  desire  for  further  information,  came  near 
being  the  innocent  cause  of  a  most  serious  calamity  to 
our  venerable  driver  and  outfit.  Mr.  Williams  had  in- 
timated that  he  would  like  to  approach,  and  enter  the 
city,  by  another  road  from  that  by  which  we  had  departed, 
so  that  he  might  obtain  a  different  view  of  its  present 
extent  and  future  resources.  This  induced  the  driver  to 
take  a  road  which,  unfortunately,  led  past  his  stable,  on 
the  way  to  the  Planter's  House,  where  we  were  to  stop. 

On  passing  the  stable,  the  contest  between  the  driver 
and  mules  was  most  spirited  and  exciting;  business  in 
town  for  the  moment  seemed  to  be  suspended ;  and  every 
one  was  anxiously  awaiting  the  result  of  the  driver's 
efforts  to  reach  the  hotel  on  the^  next  block.  It  was  in 
vain  that  I  suggested  that  we  had  plenty  of  time  to  stop 
at  the  stable,  and  exchange  our  outfit  before  proceeding 
to  the  hotel — the  driver  swore  that  he  would  drive  the 
d — n  mules  to  the  hotel  or  h-11,  and  he  did  not  much  care 
which.  And  he  came  near  succeeding  in  both ;  for,  on 
finally  reaching  the  hotel,  and  just  as  our  venerable  friend 
had  taken  the  last  article  of  baggage  from  the  carriage, 
the  pesky  animals  (if  they  may  be  dignified  by  that  re- 
spectable name)  started  off  suddenly  on  their  own  hook 
for  a  run-away.  The  driver  was  knocked  down  while 
closing  the  carriage  door,  but  fortunately  the  wheels  did 
not  pass  over  him.  And  the  outfit  went  sailing  and 
crashing  down  the  street,  among  the  carriages,  and  herds 
of  mules  and  cattle,  towards  the  river. 

After  recovering  from  a  most  improper,  but  uncontrol- 
lable fit  of  laughter,  occasioned  by  the  sudden  and  very 
unexpected  turn  things  had  taken,  I  assisted  our  venera- 
ble friend  to  his  feet.  He  was  covered  with  mud,  his 
countenance  was  pale  with  rage  and  fright,  and  his  lips 
and  clenched  teeth  muttered  curses  low  but  deep  against 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  27 

the  whole  family  of  mules  and  their  offspring,  now,  hence- 
forth and  forever. 

The  mules  and  carriage,  unimpaired,  were  soon  brought 
back,  however,  by  an  intrepid  horseman  who  had  stopped 
them  in  their  mad  career ;  and  the  last  I  saw  of  our  out- 
fit, it  was  going  at  double-quick  toward  the  stable,  the 
head  of  the  driver  surging  above  and  below  the  top  of  the 
carriage,  as  he  administered  to  the  refractory  mules  such 
merited  punishment  as  his  remaining  strength  enabled 
him  to  do. 

Thus  ended  our  trip  to  Berthoud  Pass,  and  the  Snowy 
Range  of  the  Eocky  Mountains. 


28  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 


IV. 


COLORADO  AGRICULTURAL  FAIR — TRIP  FROM  DENVER  TO  LAPORTE 

OVER  THE  BLACK  HILL  RANGE  TO  VIRGINIA  DALE — STONEWALL 

CA&ON STEAMBOAT  BUTTE — ANTELOPE  PASS  AND  THE  LARAMIE 

PLAINS ARRIVAL  AT  FORT  JOHN  BUFORD. 

FOBT  JOHN  BUFOKD,  LAEAMTE  PLAINS,  D.  T.,  | 

Thursday,  September  27,  1866.  J 

The  first  Agricultural  Fair  of  Colorado  had  been 
advertised  to  come  off  on  Thursday,  September  20,  and 
be  continued  on  Friday  and  Saturday;  but  the  severe 
storm  of  the  preceding  Wednesday  had  made  the  travel- 
ling so  bad,  that  the  Committee  determined  to  post- 
pone the  commencement  till  Friday,  and  continue  the 
exhibition  till  the  following  Tuesday. 

On  Friday  morning  Mr.  Williams  and  myself  were 
invited  to  visit  the  grounds  by  General  Pierce,  the  Sur- 
veyor-General of  the  Territory,  and  General  Hughes,  the 
general  agent  and  attorney  for  Holladay's  Overland  Stage 
and  Express  Company.  We  found  that  the  grounds, 
which  are  situated  about  one  and  a  half  miles  to  the 
northeast  of  Denver  City,  consisted  of  forty  acres  of  most 
beautiful  plain  in  the  form  of  a  parallelogram,  inclosed  by 
a  tight  wall,  composed  of  concrete,  about  two  feet  thick 
and  eight  feet  high.  Upon  one  side  of  the  rectangle  was 
an  elliptical  track  one  half  mile  in  length,  for  the  trial  of 
the  speed  of  horses  and  mules  ;  and  upon  the  other  side 
were  innumerable  stalls  for  the  exhibition  of  domestic 
animals.  In  the  centre  was  a  large  covered  amphitheatre, 
in  which  were  exhibited  the  products  of  the  soil,  and  such 
articles  of  'trade  and  commerce  as  the  mechanical  skill  of 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  29 

the  Territory  could  produce.  The  whole  affair,  both  in 
its  inception  and  execution,  would  have  done  credit  to 
any  State  east  of  the  Missouri  Biver. 

The  articles  which  most  attracted  our  attention  were 
the  mammoth  specimens  of  vegetables  on  exhibition. 
Such  cabbages,  beets,  turnips,  tomatoes  and  potatoes  I 
have  seldom  seen  at  any  State  or  county  exhibition  in 
New  York,  and  they  were  all  produced  by  irrigation. 

The  farmers  with  whom  we  conversed  informed  us,  that 
they  much  preferred  this  sure  method  of  raising  a  crop,  to 
the  uncertainty  attending  all  farming  operations  in  the 
Eastern  States  where  they  had  resided;  the  expense  was 
comparatively  trifling,  and  their  preparations  for  irriga- 
tion had  now  become  so  far  advanced,  that  they  felt  sure 
of  being  able  to  supply  the  entire  demand  hereafter,  and 
at  moderate  prices. 

The  knowledge  of  this  fact  has  changed  my  whole 
former  theory  on  this  subject.  I  had  supposed  that  the 
immense  population  which  is  settling  in  the  mountains, 
would  have  to  be  supplied  with  agricultural  products,  for 
all  time,  from  the  productive  regions  of  the  lower  Platte, 
and  the  States  of  Iowa,  Illinois  and  Missouri.  But  now 
I  see  that  all  these  lands,  lying  along  the  eastern  base  of 
the  Eocky  Mountains,  and  susceptible  of  being  irrigated 
by  the  mountain  streams,  whose  sources  are  the  eternal 
snows  upon  their  summits,  will  sooner  or  later  be  made 
to  produce  all  that  will  be  required  for  the  millions  of 
hardy  mountaineers,  whose  thirst  and  search  for  gold  and 
the  other  precious  metals  preclude  them  from  devoting 
their  time  to  agricultural  pursuits,  even  though  the  cli- 
mate and  soil  of  the  mountain  regions  should  warrant  it. 

The  specimens  of  jewelry,  saddlery,  needle-work  and 
other  varieties  of  mechanical  skill  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion, were  remarkable  for  their  ingenuity  and  perfection. 


30  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

And  we  came  away  from  the  fair  grounds,  after  witness- 
ing one  or  two  trials  of  speed  between  a  lot  of  second  or 
third  class  trotting  horses,  impressed  with  the  idea  that 
this  young  and  unfledged  State  was  bound  soon  to 
take  higher  rank  in  the  confederacy  than  some  of  the 
"Old  Thirteen." 

Under  the  new  programme,  the  trial  of  the  fastest 
horses,  and  riding  by  the  ladies,  which  we  would  like  much 
to  have  seen,  had  been  postponed  to  the  following  week. 

FROM  DENVER  TO  LAPORTE. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  September  22,  we  again 
left  Denver,  by  Holladay's  Overland  Stage  Line,  for  the 
scene  of  our  future  explorations  in  the  Black  Hills,  north 
and  west  of  Laporte.  The  light  from  the  stars  and  wan- 
ing moon  was  barely  sufficient  to  reveal  the  dim  outline 
of  the  ragged  sides  and  crest  of  the  mountain  ranges  as 
we  passed  within  a  few  miles  of  their  base,  and  across 
Clear,  Coal,  Boulder,  St.  Vrain,  Little  and  Big  Thomson 
and  Cache  la  Poudre  Creeks,  that  flow  from,  the  huge 
gorges  in  their  sides. 

We  reached  Laporte,  a  distance  of  sixty-seven  miles 
by  stage  road  from  Denver,  at  daybreak  on  Sunday 
morning,  and  found  most  comfortable  quarters  at  the 
stage-station,  kept  by  Mr.  Taylor ;  and  were  joined,  in 
the  evening,  by  General  G.  M.  Dodge,  Chief  Engineer, 
and  Mr.  James  A.  Evans,  Division  Engineer,  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad. 

We  were  now  about  to  enter  in  real  earnest  upon  the 
rough  and  adventurous  features  of  our  excursion.  Gen- 
eral Dodge  commenced  our  education  by  intimating  in 
the  most  gentle  manner,  that  we  would  be  expected  to 
feed,  water  and  clean  our  saddle-horses  during  the  trip. 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  31 

Our  host  of  the  Eanch  also  informed  us,  that  he  had  no 
sleeping  accommodations  for  us,  and  that  we  had  better 
look  around  for  lodgings. 

In  view  of  such  an  emergency,  Mr.  Williams  and  my- 
self had  fortunately  provided  ourselves  with  plenty  of 
buffalo  skins,  blankets  and  ponchos.  We  therefore  inti- 
mated to  the  landlord,  that  one  of  us  would  occupy  the 
lounge  in  the  corner  of  the  dining-room,  and  the  other 
would  sleep  on  the  floor  by  the  stove.  Upon  this  the 
cook,  a  buxom  middle-aged  woman,  with  a  sucking  child, 
called  out  from  the  kitchen,  in  not  very  gentle  tones, 
that  that  lounge  was  her  bed.  Mr.  Chamberlain,  an 
enterprising  merchant  in  the  vicinity,  here  came  to  our 
relief,  and  kindly  offered  us  the  use  of  the  floor  in  the  back 
room  of  his  log-store,  which  we  were  very  glad  to  accept. 

The  following  day  was  spent  in  making  preparations 
for  our  intended  reconnoissance  on  horseback,  of  the  Black 
Hills  and  Laramie  Plains.  An  easy-going  black  saddle- 
horse  was  procured  of  Mr.  Chamberlain,  for  the  use  of 
Mr.  Williams.  A  chestnut  cavalry  horse,  procured  by 
General  Dodge  from  Fort  Collins,  was  allotted  to  me. 
He  had  previously  selected  a  fine  roan  from  the  same 
place  for  himself.  And  Mr.  Evans  adhered  to  a  large 
black  mule  which  he  had  been  riding  for  some  days  pre- 
viously. He  very  kindly  offered  this  mule  to  Mr.  Wil- 
liams, with  the  quiet  remark,  however,  that  he  was  apt  to 
buck  once  in  a  while,  which  meant,  as  he  afterward  ex- 
plained, that  he  would  occasionally  stick  his  head  down 
between  his  fore  legs,  kick  up  behind,  and  throw  his  rider 
over  his  head.  Mr.  Williams  having  had  some  experience 
with  mules,  on  our  trip  to  Berthoud  Pass,  very  promptly 
declined  the  offer. 

Hon.  Green  Clay  Smith,  Governor  of  Montana,  break- 
fasted with  us  as  he  was  passing  through  with  his  suite, 
by  stage,  on  his  way  to  the  scene  of  his  future  labors. 


32  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 


FROM  LAPOBTE  OVER  THE  BLACK  HILL  RANGE. 

On  Tuesday  morning,  September  25,  our  party,  con- 
sisting of  Mr.  Williams,  General  Dodge,  Mr.  Evans  and 
myself,  started  from  Laporte,  fully  mounted  and  equipped 
as  cavalry,  and  armed  to  the  teeth  with  breech-loading 
carbines  dangling  from  our  saddles,  and  revolvers  buckled 
around  our  waists,  accompanied  by  a  supply  wagon,  in 
charge  of  Mr.  McLain,  one  of  Mr.  Evans'  assistants,  in 
which  were  our  bedding,  and  such  supplies  as  we  would 
be  likely  to  want  on  our  trip. 

Our  course  lay  up  the  valley  of  the  Cache  la  Poudre  a 
few  miles,  and  then  we  turned  more  northerly  and  fol- 
lowed up  the  valley  of  one  of  its  tributaries,  which  again 
led  us  into  the  valleys  of  the  Pitchfork,  Stonewall,  Poisen 
and  Dale  Creeks. 

To  the  right  of  us,  toward  the  Plains,  were  what  time 
had  suffered  to  remain  of  the  rough,  jagged  crests  of  the 
secondary  formations  as  they  had  rested  from  the  great 
upheaval  of  this  portion  of  the  earth's  surface,  when,  dur- 
ing some  former  age,  Old  Yulcan  had  undoubtedly  fallen 
asleep,  and  allowed  the  subterranean  fires,  which  he 
used  in  forging  those  immense  iron  wedges  and  other 
machinery  with  which  he  keeps  the  universe  in  equili- 
brium, to  attain  too  great  a  degree  of  heat. 

To  the  left  of  us  were  the  higher  and  more  imperish- 
able debris  of  these  same  formations,  flanked  in  the  dis- 
tance by  the  snow-clad  summits  of  the  primeval  rocks, 
which  have  for  so  many  centuries  withstood  the  combined 
attacks  of  time  and  the  elements.  The  objects  of  more 
immediate  interest,  however,  were  the  "  Stonewall  Ca- 
non," with  its  perpendicular  walls  of  rock  several  hundred 
feet  in  height ;  and  the  "  Steamboat  Butte,"  which  from 
a  distance  presents  to  view  all  the  characteristics  of  a 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILKOAD.  33 

steamboat,  with  upper  cabin,  chimneys,  pilot-house,  etc., 
the  passer-by  pausing  unconsciously  to  hear  the  bell 
ring,  and  the  familiar  cry  of  "  All  aboard,"  before  it  shall 
start  away. 

Our  wagon,  having  followed  the  travelled  road,  which 
we  were  compelled  in  a  great  measure  to  avoid,  had  ob- 
tained some  distance  the  start  of  us;  and  we  did  not 
overtake  it  until  about  two  P.  M.  Having  been  in  the  saddle 
at  least  six  consecutive  hours,  we  were  very  glad  to  dis- 
mount, and,  after  unsaddling,  watering  and  picketing  our 
horses,  and  extending  ourselves  upon  the  grass  in  the 
shade  of  the  wagon,  partake  of  a  lunch  which  our  com- 
missary (McLain)  had  made  ready  for  us  ;  after  which  a 
ride  of  three  hours  brought  us  to  Virginia  Dale,  one  of 
the  stations  of  the  Overland  Stage  Company. 


A  NIGHT  AT  VIRGINIA  DALE. 

This  is  a  most  beautiful  amphitheatre,  surrounded  by 
mountains,  with  Dale  Creek  running  through  the  centre ; 
and  is  near  the  boundary  line  between  Colorado  and  Da- 
kotah.  Gen.  Dodge  here  suggested  that  all  the  requisites 
for  a  good  camping  ground  were  at  hand,  to  wit — wood, 
water,  and  plenty  of  grass  for  our  animals ;  but  while 
the  wagon  was  coming  up,  I  took  the  liberty  of  riding 
forward  to  the  stage  ranch,  and  received  the  gratifying 
intelligence  that  the  proprietor  was  prepared  and  willing 
to  afford  both  man  and  beast  very  comfortable  accommo- 
dations for  the  night.  Mr.  Williams  at  first  objected, 
saying  that  he  had  come  out  expecting  and  fully  pre- 
pared to  rough  it  in  the  mountains,  sleep  on  the  ground, 
&c.,  and  he  thought  it  was  about  time  to  try  it ;  but  he 
finally  yielded  very  gracefully ;  and,  after  providing  for 
the  comfort  of  our  horses,  we  soon  found  ourselves  seated 

2* 


WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

before  a  cheerful  fire,  talking  over  the  peculiarities  of 
the  country  and  incidents  of  the  day. 

A  most  excellent  supper  of  coffee,  warm  rolls,  boiled 
potatoes  and  stewed  antelope,  together  with  the  fatigues 
of  the  day,  inclined  us  to  seek  early  repose ;  but  here  a 
new  embarrassment  awaited  us.  There  was  but  one  spare 
bed  in  the  ranch,  and  there  were  at  least  three  of  our 
party  for  whom,  with  proper  deference  to  age  and  rank, 
the  enjoyment  of  this  luxury  would  seem  quite  appropri- 
ate ;  but  both  Mr.  Williams  and  Gen.  Dodge  were  inex- 
orable ;  and  I,  whose  romance  had  nearly  oozed  out  dur- 
ing the  day,  was  obliged  to  submit  to  the  mortifying 
necessity  of  occupying  the  comfortable  bed,  while  they 
camped  down  in  their  robes  and  blankets  upon  the  floor, 
in  opposite  corners  of  the  same  room. 

ANTELOPE  PASS  AND  LARAMIE  PLAINS. 

We  were  again  on  our  way  early  the  following  morn- 
ing^ Having  ordered  the  wagon  to  halt  for  lunch  at  the 
Willow  Springs  stage  station,  we  followed  up  the  valley 
of  Dale  Creek  in  the  direction  of  Antelope  Pass,  which 
we  reached  at  one  p.  M.  This  pass  is  supposed  to  be  the 
lowest  point  in  a  depression  extending  several  miles 
longitudinally  along  the  crest  of  the  Black  Hill  range, 
and  is  about  8,000  feet  above  the  sea.  From  this  sum- 
mit we  were  greeted  with  our  first  view  of  Laramie  Plains, 
extending  as  far  to  the  northward  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
bounded  on  the  east  by  the  Black  Hills ;  and  on  the  west 
by  the  much  higher  range  of  the  Medicine  Bow  Moun- 
tains, which  form  the  easterly  side  of  the  North  Park. 

This  pass  was  named  "  Antelope ''  by  Gen.  Case  (who 
first  explored  it  for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company 
in  1864),  on  account  of  the  numerous  herds  of  antelope 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILROAD.  85 

that  he  found  in  its  vicinity.  We  saw  several  groups, 
but  they  were  careful  to  keep  beyond  the  range  of  our 
carbines ;  and  we  were  therefore  obliged  to  proceed  on 
our  journey  with  only  a  mountain  grouse,  and  jack  rabbit 
in  our  haversacks,  which  I  had  brought  down  with  my 
Ballard  carbine  during  our  morning  ride. 

Our  descent  toward  the  Laramie  Plains,  soon  brought 
us  to  an  intersection  with  the  stage  road,  which  we  fol- 
lowed to  the  station  at  Willow  Springs,  where  we  found 
our  attentive  commissary  prepared  to  receive  us,  with  an 
excellent  lunch  for  ourselves,  and  provender  for  our 
animals. 

A  further  ride  of  six  or  eight  miles,  brought  us  to  Fort 
"  John  Buford,"  just  at  sunset,  where  we  were  most  hos- 
pitably received  and  entertained  by  Col.  Mizner,  the  offi- 
cer in  command.  In  addition  to  his  own  quarters,  which 
he  placed  at  our  disposal,  he  caused  to  be  put  up  another 
fine  wall-tent  for  the  accommodation  of  the  balance  of 
the  party ;  and  our  stay  thus  far  of  one  night  in  his  camp 
has  been  both  pleasant  and  refreshing. 


36  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 


V. 

A  DAY   AT    FORT   JOHN    BUFORD,*  ON   THE   LARAMIE   PLAINS MR. 

WILLIAMS'   LETTER — EASTWARD   BOUND — DEATH   OF  THE  ELK — 
CROSSING  OF  THE    BLACK    HILLS   AT    EVANS7    PASS — DESCENT 

TOWARDS  THE  PLAINS CAMP  ON  DALE  CREEK — LONE  ROCK 

NARROW  ESCAPE  OF  A  HERD  OF  ELK — CAMP  ON  LONE  TREE 

BOX-ELDER DEATH    OF   THE    ANTELOPE RETURN   TO   LAPORTE. 

LAPOETE,  COLORADO,  Monday,  October  1,  1866. 

Thursday,  the  27th  of  September,  was  spent  by  our 
party  at  and  about  Fort  John  Buford,  on  the  Lararnie 
Plains.  Mr.  Evans  and  myself  took  a  leisurely  ride  in 
the  afternoon,  of  some  seven  or  eight  miles  down  the 
Laramie  River,  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  one  of  the 
crossings  proposed  for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  Mr. 
"Williams  employed  himself  in  posting  up  his  notes, 
writing  letters,  and  examining  maps  and  profiles  with 
General  Dodge.  And  the  General  himself  examined, 
with  his  military  eye,  in  company  with  Colonel  Mizner, 
the  extensive  warehouses,  barracks,  etc.,  which  were  in 
process  of  construction  for  the  better  accommodation 
and  protection  of  the  troops  and  their  supplies. 

The  following  letter  was  written  by  Mr.  Williams  on 
the  day  of  our  sojourn  at  the  Fort,  a  copy  of  which  he 
has  kindly  furnished  me  : — 

FORT  JOHN  BUFOKD,  DAKOTAH  TERRITORY,  September  27, 1866. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Fort  Wayne  Gazette — 

My  last  was  from  Berthoud  Pass,  September  18th.  The  day  was 
delightful.  The  next  day  we  encountered  a  snow  storm.  Stopping 
half  way  down  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountain,  we  found  the  snow 

*  Name  since  changed  to  "Fort  Saunders." 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILKOAD.  37 

on  the  morning  of  the  19th  eight  inches  deep — icicles  on  the  eaves  two 
feet  long,  and  the  thermometer  only  sixteen  degrees  above  zero. 
West  of  the  mountain  range,  the  snow  fell  to  the  depth  of  two  feet,  com- 
pelling Mr.  Brown's  engineer  party  to  abandon  the  survey,  for  the  time 
being,  and  cross  the  range  for  subsistence  for  the  mules,  after  dividing 
with  them  the  rations  for  the  men.  At  Denver  there  was  but  a 
sprinkling  of  snow.  Such  are  the  varied  meteorological  effects  caused 
by  difference  of  elevation,  and  the  influence  of  the  mountain  range,  in 
arresting  and  precipitating  the  moisture. 

Passing  north  to  the  Black  Hills  ;  and  beginning  the  ascent  of  this 
range  at  the  Cache-la-Poudre,  the  largest  tributary  of  the  South  Piatte, 
which  takes  its  rise  in  the  snowy  heights  of  Long's  Peak,  we  followed 
on  horseback  to  this  place,  another  of  the  experimental  lines  run  for 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  crossing  at  Antelope  Pass.  Our  party  in 
this  most  interesting  reconnoissance  consisted  of  Gen.  Dodge,  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  U.  P.  R.  R.,  Col.  Silas  Seymour,  Consulting  Engineer, 
and  Mr.  Evans,  the  engineer  who  made  the  surveys.  Travelling  in  a 
northwest  direction,  we  had  the  snow-capped  peaks  of  the  grand  snowy 
range  always  in  view  twenty  to  thirty  miles  to  the  left.  The  highest 
altitude  reached  on  this  survey  is  8,050  feet  above  the  sea.  The  tran- 
sition from  the  sedementary  rocks  forming  the  slope  near  the  base,  to 
the  granite  which  everywhere  composes  the  central  and  higher  parts 
of  these  mountain  ranges,  is  plainly  marked.  In  the  secondary  forma- 
tion, and  lying  geologically  next  above  the  granite,  is  observed  near 
the  base  of  mountains  on  both  slopes,  what  our  geologist  decides  to  be 
the  veritable  "  old  red  sand-stone"  of  Hugh  Miller  ;  which  the  genius 
of  that  distinguished  devotee  of  geological  research  invested  with  so 
much  interest  in  the  scientific  circles  of  Europe. 

The  valley  of  the  Laramie  river,  in  which  we  have  travelled  for 
twenty  miles,  on  the  western  side  of  the  mountain,  is  a  vast  plain 
without  a  shrub.  It  is  twenty-five  to  thirty  miles  wide.  The  groves 
of  pine  on  the  Medicine  Bow  Mountains,  forming  its  western  bound- 
ary, and  on  the  Black  Hills  to  the  east,  is  a  relief  to  the  view. 

Fort  Buford,  from  which  I  write,  is  a  newly  established  U.  S.  mili- 
tary Post,  now  in  the  course  of  erection,  taking  the  place  of  both  Forts 
Halleck  and  Collins,  which  are  to  be  abandoned.  It  is  on  the  Laramie 
Plains,  125  miles  northwest  of  Denver,  on  the  road  to  Salt  Lake.  The 
name  is  in  honor  of  the  distinguished  Cavalry  General,  who  defeated 
the  rebel  General  Stewart  in  Virginia,  but  died  soon  afterwards. 
Col.  Mizner,  of  the  18th  U.  S.  Infantry,  who  hails  from  Detroit,  is  in 


38  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

command.    His  kindness  to  our  party,  while  resting  here  for  a  day,  is 
unbounded. 

From  this  point  we  expect  to  return  over  another  experimental  sur- 
vey, crossing  the  Black  Hills  further  north  at  Evans'  Pass,  and  thence 
to  Crow  Creek  and  Lodge  Pole  Creek — branches  of  the  South  Platte. 
In  that  section  the  Indians  indulge  in  mule  stealing  (and  sometimes 
in  scalping  their  owners),  having  recently  taken  seventy  mules  from 
a  transportation  train.  General  Dodge  has  been  furnished  by  order 
of  the  Department  Commander,  with  an  escort  of  twenty  soldiers, 
ten  of  whom  are  mounted. 

Major-General  Dodge,  before  the  war,  was  a  civil  engineer  on 
the  railroads  of  Illinois  and  Iowa,  and  had  explored,  extensively, 
these  plains  and  mountains.  Until  recently,  he  was  in  command  of 
this  military  department;  and  by  all  these  opportunities  has  ac- 
quired much  knowledge  of  the  topography  of  this  region.  His 
services  in  the  location  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  will  be  valuable,  as, 
in  the  late  war,  they  were  eminently  distinguished  in  the  high 
commands  which  he  held  in  the  Union  army.  But  the  people  of 
the  Council  Bluff  district,  in  Iowa,  are  about  to  lay  violent  hands 
on  him,  and,  without  any  effort  on  his  part,  make  him  a  member  of 
the  Fortieth  Congress. 

J.  L.  WILLIAMS. 

I  desire  to  add  my  testimony  to  that  of  Mr.  Williams, 
in  relation  to  the  perseverance  and  skill  which  General 
Dodge  has  brought  to  bear  in  directing  the  surveys  during 
the  past  year,  through  this  difficult  and  mountainous 
country.  And,  also,  to  the  intelligence  manifested  by 
Mr.  Evans,  in  all  the  important  details  of  topography 
connected  with  the  extensive  surveys  and  reconnoissances 
made  by  him  for  the  Railroad  Company,  during  the  past 
three  years,  upon  this  and  other  portions  of  the  line. 

Captain  McCleary,  the  very  accomplished  and  gentle- 
manly officer  second  in  command  at  the  Fort,  returned  in 
the  evening  from  a  hunting  excursion  on  horseback,  with 
his  horse  and  that  of  his  orderly  literally  laden  with  wild 
geese  and  ducks,  which  he  had  slaughtered  during  the 
day  on  the  Lararnie  River,  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Fort. 


UNION  PACIFIC  BATLKOAD.  39 

Arrangements  were  also  made  with  Colonel  Mizner  by 
General  Dodge,  for  an  escort  of  twenty  infantry,  ten  of 
wliom  were  to  be  mounted ;  this  precaution  being  deemed 
prudent,  if  not  absolutely  necessary,  on  account  of  the 
late  depredations  of  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
route  by  which  we  proposed  to  return. 


EASTWARD  BOUND. 

All  preparations  being  perfected,  we  bade  our  friends 
at  the  Fort  adieu,  at  an  early  hour  on  Friday  morning,  and 
started  on  our  backward  course.  The  weather  was  now, 
and  had  during  the  past  few  days,  been  perfectly  delight- 
ful. The  sun,  perhaps  a  little  too  hot  during  mid-day, 
had  blistered  our  ears  and  noses  somewhat ;  but  the  soft, 
balmy  air  of  the  Plains  tended  to  elevate  our  spirits ;  and 
the  hazy,  dreamy  state  of  the  atmosphere,  rendered  the 
dissolving  views  of  the  distant  mountains  truly  enchant- 
ing. Our  road  for  several  miles  was  the  same  which  we 
had  previously  followed  to  the  Fort. 


DEATH  OF  THE  ELK. 

On  reaching  a  point  some  six  miles  from  the  Fort,  in 
the  vicinity  of  a  beautiful  lake,  we  were  electrified  by  the 
appearance  of  a  very  large  and  beautiful  Elk-Stag  upon 
the  verge  of  the  lake ;  and  apparently  transfixed  to  the 
spot  by  some  mysterious  and  fatal  power  which  he  could 
not  control.  Several  shots  were  fired  almost  simultane- 
ously, and  after  staggering  a  few  rods  he  fell.  When  we 
reached  the  noble  animal,  life  was  extinct. 

Modesty,  while  it  will  not  justify  any  material  departure 
from  truth,  always  forbids  the  historian  of  any  great 
achievement  from  arrogating  to  himself  peculiar  prowess, 


40  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

or  writing  himself  down  the  hero  of  the  occasion.  Suffice 
it  to  say,  therefore,  that  Mr.  Williams,  whose  knowledge 
of  the  sporting  laws  will  be  unquestioned  by  those  who 
know  him,  decided  that  the  splendid  horns  of  the  elk, 
the  acknowledged  trophies  in  all  game  cases  of  this 
kind,  should  be  appropriated  to  me,  with  the  under- 
standing that  I  should  take  them  to  New  York  and 
present  them,  with  the  united  compliments  of  the  party, 
to  Dr.  Durant,  Vice-President  and  General  Manager  of 
the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad ;  and  that  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  steaks  for  the  subsistence  of  our  party  during  the 
trip,  should  be  gratuitously  distributed.  All  which  was 
satisfactorily  done,  and  the  immense  horns  made  fast  to 
our  wagon.* 

The  animal  was  estimated  to  weigh  at  least  eight  hun- 
dred pounds. 


EVANS'  PASS. 

After  following  the  travelled  road  to  a  point  within 
about  two  miles  of  the  Willow  Spring  Station,  we  diverged 
to  the  left,  in  a  more  northerly  direction,  and  ascended 
the  westerly  slope  of  the  Black  Hills  to  a  depression  in 
their  summit,  some  miles  north  of  Antelope  Pass,  and 
considerably  to  the  south  of  Cheyenne  Pass,  named 
Evans'  Pass,  in  honor  of  the  Engineer  of  that  name,  who 
formed  one  of  our  party ;  and  to  whose  energy,  and  skill 
in  his  profession,  the  Eailroad  Company  are  indebted  for 
most  of  the  information  in  their  possession  respecting 
the  region  over  which  we  were  travelling. 


*  These  horns  have  been  elegantly  mounted,  and  may  now  be  seen  at  the  office  of  the 
Company  in  New  York. 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  41 


FISHERMEN'S  LUCK. 

We  reached  our  camping  ground,  in  the  beautiful  val- 
ley of  Dale  Creek,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  having 
ridden  about  sixteen  miles.  Gen.  Dodge  had  promised 
to  regale  us  with  plenty  of  speckled  trout,  from  the  clear, 
cold  mountain  streams  along  our  route ;  but  up  to  this 
time,  the  only  ones  we  had  seen  or  tasted  were  upon  the 
dinner  table  of  our  excellent  and  hospitable  friend,  Gen. 
Pierce,  of  Denver  City. 

As  we  were  watering  our  animals  in  Dale  Creek,  just 
previous  to  our  halt  for  the  day,  the  General  declared  that 
he  saw  several  speckled  trout  in  the  stream ;  and  imme- 
diate preparations  were  therefore  made  to  secure  suffi- 
cient for  our  supper.  The  General  and  myself  trolled 
the  stream  for  a  half  mile  in  each  direction,  Mr.  Wil- 
liams following  with  a  gunny-sack  in  which  to  bag  our 
prey ;  but  it  was  of  no  avail ;  not  a  bite,  nor  even  the 
faintest  nibble,  did  I  have  ;  but  the  General  protested  to 
at  least  one  fair  bite,  and  some  half-dozen  glimpses  of 
the  little  rascals  as  they  dodged  around  the  bends  in  the 
stream.  We  were  therefore  compelled  to  fall  back  upon 
our  regular  bill  of  fare  for  dinner,  aided  by  our  elk- 
steaks,  which,  being  fried  with  bacon,  we  found  most 
excellent. 

CAMPING-  OUT. 

We  had  at  last  reached  the  realization  of  our  hopes 
and  dreams,  and  were  actually  "  camping  out"  in  the 
mountains.  We  could  roll  in  the  long  grass,  drink  our 
fill  from  the  sparkling  stream,  sing  and  halloo  as  loud  as 
we  pleased,  without  disturbing  any  one  outside  of  our 
own  little  party.  The  Indians  might  be  watching  us 
from  some  of  the  surrounding  crags,  and  coveting  our 


42  WESTEKN  INCIDENTS. 

scalps  as  trophies  for  the  adornment  of  their  wigwams  ; 
or  might  be  planning  an  escapade  for  our  stock  ;  but 
what  matter — we  all  felt  that  innate  sense  of  security  and 
reliance  upon  ourselves,  which  always  accompanies  a 
wild  and  roving  mountain  life  ;  and  which,  we  felt  confi- 
dent, would  enable  us  to  cope  successfully  with  five  times 
our  number  of  these  savage  denizens  of  the  forest. 

Our  "  headquarters"  had  been  furnished,  through  the 
kindness  of  Col.  Mizner,  with  two  wedge  tents,  each  cap- 
able of  sheltering  and  sleeping  two  persons  comfortably  ; 
these  were  pitched  near  our  wagon  ;  and  the  wagons  and 
tents  of  our  escort  were  distributed  at  a  respectful  dis- 
tance in  our  rear.  The  General  gave  the  necessary 
instructions  to  the  Sergeant  in  command  of  the  escort, 
respecting  the  careful  picketing  of  our  stock,  and  the 
posting  of  the  guard  for  the  protection  of  our  camp  from 
surprise  during  the  night ;  and  after  we  had  indulged 
in  our  most  comfortable  evening  talk  and  smoke,  by  the 
light  of  our  waning  camp-fire,  we  were  admonished  by  the 
cool  evening  air,  and  the  noiseless  quiet  which  reigned 
around  us,  that  it  was  time  Jor  us  to  retire  to  rest. 


LONE  BOCK-ESCAPE  OF  AN  ANTELOPE. 

After  an  early  breakfast  the  following  morning,  we  pur- 
sued our  way  over  the  high  and  somewhat  broken  divides 
till  we  reached  the  plain  which  stretches  itself  between 
the  valleys  of  Lone  Tree  and  Crow  Creeks.  On  pass- 
ing an  immense  detached  pile  of  granite  rock,  eighty  feet 
high,  and  fifty  feet  square  at  the  base,  Gen.  Dodge  and 
Mr.  Evans  ascended  with  some  difficulty  to  its  summit, 
and  reported  a  most  extended  view  of  the  surrounding 
country. 

A  little  further  on,  while  most  of  our  party  were  col- 


UNION  PACIFIC  EAILEOAD.  43 

lected  upon  an  eminence,  some  of  the  escort  started  up 
an  antelope  at  some  distance  from  us,  which,  from  the 
shouts  and  firing  of  its  pursuers,  became  almost  fran- 
tic with  fright ;  and,  after  circling  partly  round  the  hill, 
actually  approached  so  near  to  where  we  stood  that  we 
could  distinctly  see  its  wild,  staring  eyes,  and  panting 
chest.  Stopping  for  a  moment  immediately  in  front  of  us, 
it  seemed  to  take  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  when  it 
turned  and  left  us  like  the  wind.  Several  shots  were  fired 
at  the  beautiful  animal,  but  it  seemed  to  have  a  charmed 
life. 

NARROW  ESCAPE   OF   A  HERD   OF   ELK. 

Still  further  on  we  espied,  at  a  distance  of  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  in  advance,  a  herd  of  some  thirty  elk, 
quietly  reposing  in  the  valley.  Gen.  Dodge,  Mr.  Evans, 
and  myself  immediately  dismounted,  and  endeavored  to 
make  our  way  to  the  shelter  of  an  intervening  ledge 
before  they  should  discover  us  ;  but  what  was  our  cha- 
grin upon  reaching  the  desired  spot,  which  was  within 
easy  range  of  our  carbines,  to  find  that  some  of  the 
escort,  in  hurrying  over  a  hill  to  our  right,  had  alarmed 
the  herd ;  and  that  they  were  flying  from  us  at  full  speed. 
These,  with  an  occasional  shot  at  a  sage  hen,  or  far-off 
antelope,  comprised  the  only  sporting  recreations  of  the 
day.  We  made  our  camp  in  the  valley  of  Lone  Tree 
Creek  at  four  p.  M.,  having  travelled  eighteen  miles  from 
our  camp  of  the  previous  night. 

After  partaking  of  our  frugal  dinner,  and  arranging 
matters  for  the  night,  Mr.  Evans  and  myself  strolled  a  few 
miles  up  the  creek,  in  the  faint  hope  of  meeting  again 
with  the  herd  of  elk  which  had  fled  in  this  direction ;  but 
they  were  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

The  next  day  being  Sunday ;  and,  as 


44  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

"The  sound  of  the  church-going  bell, 

These  valleys  and  rocks  never  heard — " 

we  concluded  to  work  our  way  out  upon  the  Plains  by 
easy  stages,  and  camp  sufficiently  far  in  advance  to  enable 
us  to  reach  Laporte  for  dinner  on  the  following  day.  We 
stopped  an  hour  or  so  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  at  Jack's 
Springs,  where  General  Dodge  regaled  us  with  lunch  from 
a  French  patti  of  plover,  which  was  most  excellent,  and 
should  form  a  staple  for  all  self-subsisting  travellers.  At 
four  P.  M.  we  reached  the  valley  of  Box-Elder  Creek,  and 
encamped  for  the  night. 

Our  route  during  most  of  the  day  had  passed  over  the 
heavy  swells,  or  sedimentary  formations,  which  lie  be- 
tween the  former  base  of  the  mountains  and  the  present 
level  of  the  plains;  and  which  were  formed,  undoubt- 
edly, by  debris  of  the  more  perishable  rocks,  brought 
down  by  the  mountain  torrents,  and  deposited  in  long, 
irregular  slopes  at  their  base. 


DEATH  OF  THE  ANTELOPE. 

On  Monday  morning  we  resumed  our  course  towards 
Laporte,  having  left  our  escort  to  await  orders  at  Camp 
Box-Elder.  Our  route  lay  over  very  much  the  same 
character  of  country  as  we  had  traversed  the  previous 
day.  When  at  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  from  camp, 
Mr.  Williams,  who  was  riding  in  advance,  observed  an 
antelope,  lying  down,  some  three  or  four  hundred  yards 
directly  in  our  front.  He  quietly  halted  until  the  balance 
of  the  party  came  up,  when  General  Dodge  and  myself 
dismounted  and  prepared  for  action ;  Messrs,  Williams 
and  Evans  remaining  in  their  saddles,  the  better  to 
observe  the  effect  of  our  guns. 

The  General,  from  his  long  practice,  was  able  to  unlim- 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  45 

ber  his  carbine  and  bring  it  to  bear  before  I  was  quite 
prepared,  and  consequently  obtained  the  first  shot,  upon 
which  the  animal,  evidently  aroused  from  a  quiet  sleep, 
quickly  arose  to  its  feet,  and  looked  toward  us  for  an  ex- 
planation. 

Seeing  my  advantage,  and  having  observed  that  the 
General's  ball  struck  the  ground  some  distance  short  of 
the  antelope,  I  concluded  that  the  distance  was  too 
great  for  a  point  blank  range,  and  therefore  decided  to 
fire  upon  the  ricochet  principle,  which  proved  entirely 
successful.  The  animal  fell  instantly,  and  when  we 
reached  the  spot  was  almost  lifeless  from  loss  of  blood, 
caused  by  the  passage  of  the  ball  through  the  neck,  and 
severing  the  carotid  artery.  Mr.  Williams,  although 
evidently  entertaining  some  doubts  as  to  the  legitimacy 
of  the  shot,  manifested  great  delight  at  the  result ;  and, 
without  intending  any  disrespect  to  General  Dodge, 
whose  reputation  for  skill  in  bagging  much  larger  game 
had  become  so  well  established  during  the  late  war,  im- 
mediately pronounced  me  the  huntist  of  the  party,  and 
awarded  me  the  beautiful  skin  as  an  additional  trophy. 
Our  commissary,  McLain,  on  coming  up  soon  afterward, 
hung  the  antelope  upon  the  elk-horns  at  the  rear  of  the 
wagon,  and  thus  followed  us  triumphantly  into  Laporte, 
where  we  arrived  at  eleven  A.  M. 


END  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN  EXCURSION. 

Thus  ended  the  equestrian  part  of  our  excursion.  The 
exercise  had  been  long  and  somewhat  severe  ;  but  the 
natural  as  well  as  professional  interest  which  Mr.  Wil- 
liams and  myself  had  taken  in  the  features  of  the  country 
(150  miles  of  which  we  had  traversed  on  horseback  dur- 
ing the  past  six  days),  together  with,  to  us,  the  unusual 


46  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

and  exciting  incidents  connected  with  mountain  camp- 
life,  had  made  the  time  pass  most  pleasantly ;  and  caused 
us  to  regret  the  pressure  of  other  engagements  which 
would  soon  compel  us  to  leave  it,  and  part,  for  a  time, 
at  least,  with  our  most  attentive  and  agreeable  travel- 
ling companions. 

My  faithful  horse  had  also  become  an  object  of  sincere 
attachment.  His  fast,  ambling  gait  was  most  easy  and 
comfortable,  after  the  first  one  or  two  days  of  6ac&-clima- 
tion;  and  he  had  never  failed  me,  either  in  a  sudden 
dash  across  the  plain  after  an  antelope,  or  the  difficult 
crossing  of  a  mountain-ledge  or  chasm ;  and  I  parted  from 
him  with  sincere  regret. 

But  I  fear  it  was  not  so  with  my  friend  Mr.  Williams, 
whose  black  horse  "  Chug-water"  (which  name  he  gave 
him  on  account  of  some  peculiarity  in  his  gait)  came  near 
failing  him  on  several  occasions  ;  once,  I  recollect,  when 
he  stumbled  and  broke  his  saddle-girth ;  and  quite  fre- 
quently when  he  would  persistently  try  to  descend  a  hill 
upivard,  or,  rather  I  should  say,  sideways  or  backward, 
instead  of  the  straightforward  way  downward. 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  47 


VI. 

THE     PARTING     SUPPER    AT    LAPORTE JOURNEY   TO     DENVER RETURN 

TRIP    OVER   THE    PLAINS   TO    KEARNY MR.    WILLIAMS'    THEORY — 

MEETING    WITH    BEN  HOLLADAY  AND    FRIENDS RAILROAD  TRIP  TO 

OMAHA TRIBUTE  TO  THOMAS  C.  DURANT REMARKABLE  PROG- 
RESS OP  THE  UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD — TROUBLES  AT  THE 
HERNDON  HOUSE DEPARTURE  OF  MR.  WILLIAMS. 

OMAHA,  NEBKASKA,  Monday,  Oct.  8,  186(5. 

After  a  most  excellent  parting  supper  from  the  antelope, 
killed  the  previous  day,  and  other  fixings  which  our 
hostess,  Mrs.  Taylor,  provided  in  her  best  style,  Mr. 
Williams  and  myself  parted  from  our  friends,  Gen. 
Dodge  and  Mr.  Evans,  at  Laporte,  on  the  evening  of 
October  1,  and  took  the  stage  for  Denver ;  which  place 
we  reached  for  breakfast  on  the  following  morning,  with- 
out accident  or  adventure.  The  succeeding  day  was 
spent  in  preparing  for  our  departure  eastward. 

On  "Wednesday  morning,  October  3,  we  took  our  seats 
in  one  of  Ben  Holladay's  best  coaches,  in  company  with 
Senator  Chaffee,  of  Central  City,  Colorado  bound  for 
a  connection  with  the  somewhat  more  comfortable  cars 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  at  the  nearest  practicable 
point,  which  we  hoped  to  be  Plum  Creek,  or  some  point 
further  west. 

The  roads  were  in  excellent  condition ;  and  nothing 
worth  noting  occurred  to  break  the  dull  monotony  of 
our  passage  over  the  dry  and  sterile  plains,  covered 
with  low  tufts  of  yellow  frost-bitten  grass,  and  the 
whitened  bones  or  decaying  carcasses  of  innumerable 
cattle  which  had  fallen  out  by  the  way,  until  we  reached 


48  WESTERN  INCIDE: 

Fort  Kearny  on  the  following  Saturday  morning  for 
breakfast. 


MB.  WILLIAMS'   THEORY. 

Mr.  Williams,  however,  did  not  lose  an  opportunity  of 
impressing  upon  our  minds,  as  we  met  and  passed  the 
long  emigrant  and  freight  trains,  wending  their  slow  and 
tedious  way  to  and  from  the  more  distant  West,  the  truth 
and  practicability  of  his  favorite  theories  in  relation  to 
the  formation  and  ultimate  destiny  of  this  portion  of 
the  country,  which  were : 

First. — That  the  Great  Platte  Valley,  extending,  as  it 
does,  in  a  direct  line  eastward,  nearly  six  hundred  miles 
from  the  base  of  the  Koeky  Mountains  to  the  Missouri 
Valley,  was  intended  as  the  great  thoroughfare  for  the 
overland  commerce  of  the  world. 

Second. — That  the  Platte  River  itself  was  intended,  in 
the  first  instance,  to  supply  water  to  the  early  pioneers 
and  emigrants  in  their  pilgrimages  to  and  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains;  and  subsequently  to  afford  the  means  for 
irrigating  the  immense  plains  along  its  borders ;  and  thus 
render  it  eventually  one  of  the  finest  pastoral  and  agri- 
cultural regions  upon  the  continent.  And, 

Third. — That  the  perpetual  snows  upon  the  mountains 
were  intended  to  furnish  an  unfailing  supply  of  Y 
to  the  mountain  streams  which  flow  into  the  Platte ;  and 
thus,  during  all  time,  afford  the  means  of  irrigation  to 
the  extensive  table  lands  along  the  eastern  base  of  the 
mountains. 

BEN  HOLLADAY*  AND   FRIENDS. 

At  Fort  Kearny  we  met  the  veritable  Ben.  Holladay 
himself,  with  his  agent,  Mr.  Street,  and  travelling  com- 
panion, Dr.  Sayre,  of  New  York  city ;  together  with  a 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  49 

select  party  of  friends,  who  had  accompanied  him  the 
previous  day  in  a  special  train  over  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  from  Omaha. 

Mr.  Holladay  was  on  a  tour  of  inspection  over  his 
stage  route  to  Denver  and  Salt  Lake  City ;  and  he  in- 
formed us  that  he  should  probably  visit  San  Francisco 
before  returning  to  New  York.  "We  examined  with 
some  curiosity  his  fine  private  four-horse  coach,  which 
seemed  perfect  in  all  its  appointments,  having  ample  stow- 
age and  sleeping  accommodations  for  a  party  of  three 
or  four  gentlemen,  or  even  ladies. 

Mr.  Holladay  also  informed  us,  that  he  could  not  well 
shorten  up  this  end  of  the  stage  route,  and  make  an 
earlier  connection  with  the  cars,  which  were  now  miming 
some  forty  or  fifty  miles  west  of  Kearny,  until  the  track 
had  reached  a  point  opposite  Cottonwood  Station,  where 
the  Platte  river  could  be  crossed  without  difficulty.  This 
will  be  done  about  the  first  of  November ;  and  then  the 
staging  to  Denver  will  be  reduced  to  two  days  instead  of 
three,  as  it  is  at  present. 

KEARNY   TO   OMAHA   BY   RAILROAD. 

We  crossed  the  Platte,  in  company  with  Mr.  Holladay's 
returning  friends,  and  took  a  special  train  for  Omaha, 
over  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  at  ten  A.  M.  Here  we 
learned  that  during  our  absence,  the  Government  Com- 
missioners had  been  out  and  accepted  thirty-five  addi- 
tional miles  of  track,  making  in  all,  two  hundred  and 
forty-miles  of  road,  from  the  initial  point  at  Omaha. 

The  scene  along  the  road  was  both  interesting  and 
exciting.  Here  was  a  fine  passenger  station  in  course  of 
construction  ;  there,  a  freight  or  water  station  was  being 
put  up,  as  if  by  magic.  Now,  we  were  halted  upon  a  side- 

3 


>0  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

track  to  allow  a  train  of  thirty  or  forty  cars  laden  with 
ties,  rails,  chairs,  and  spikes  for  the  track,  to  pass.  And 
then,  we  would  meet  a  train  laden  with  stone  or  other 
material  for  the  foundations  or  superstructure  of  a  distant 
bridge.  Everything,  and  everybody  seemed  full  of  life 
and  energy  ;  and  all  working  to  the  same  great  end,  and. 
being  directed  by  the  same  master  mind. 


TRIBUTE  TO  THOMAS  C.  DUBANT. 

No  one  who  knows  Mr.  Thomas  C.  Durant,  the  Vice- 
President  of  the  Union  Pacific  Bailroad ;  and  has  wit- 
nessed his  entire  devotion  to  this  great  enterprise,  and  the 
untiring  energy  which  he  has  brought  to  bear  in  over- 
coming the  many  difficulties  in  its  rapid  construction, 
while  acting  as  the  principal  executive  officer  of  the 
Company,  in  the  absence  of  the  President,  Gen.  Dix 
(whose  time,  during  the  late  war,  was  principally  devoted 
to  his  duties  in  the  army),  will  hesitate  to  award  to  him 
the  highest  honors,  both  as  a  railroad  manager  and  public 
benefactor. 

One  year  ago,  not  a  mile  of  road  had  been  accepted  by 
the  Government ;  only  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  had  been 
laid  west  of  Omaha ;  and  it  was  struggling  along  at  the 
rate  of  from  one-quarter  to  a  half  mile  per  day.  To-day, 
two  hundred  and  forty  miles  of  track  have  been  accepted 
by  the  Government.  Some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  addi- 
tional have  been  completed,  and  it  is  steadily  progres- 
sing at  the  rate  of  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  miles  per 
day.  Fourteen  thousand  and  two  hundred  feet,  or  two 
and  seven-tenths  miles,  have  been  laid  in  a  single  day. 

One  year  ago,  the  foundations  were  commenced  for  the 
machine  shops  at  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  road.  To- 
day, they  are  substantially  completed,  and  in  full  opera- 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  51 

tion,  witli  stalls  for  twenty  locomotives,  and  machinery  for 
doing  the  repairs  of  three  hundred  miles  of  road ;  also  car- 
shops,  manufacturing  and  turning  out  two  cars  each  day ; 
and  the  whole  giving  employment  to  three  hundred  and 
fifty  mechanics. 

One  year  ago,  there  were  only  three  locomotives  and 
twenty  platform  cars  engaged  in  the  transportation  of 
materials.  To-day,  there  are  twenty-three  locomotives, 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  freight  cars  employed  in  the 
same  business — five  first-class  passenger  cars,  with  the 
necessary  mail  and  baggage  cars,  and  two  magnificent 
excursion  and  sleeping  cars,  prepared  for  their  appro- 
priate use. 

One  year  ago,  passengers  for  Denver,  Salt  Lake,  and 
San  Francisco  were  obliged  to  ride  the  whole  distance 
from  the  Missouri  river  in  old-fashioned  stage-coaches, 
hacks  or  mud-wagons.  To-day,  there  are  no  stages  run- 
ning east  of  Fort  Kearny ;  and  nearly  one  half  the  dis- 
tance to  Denver  may  be  travelled  in  ten  hours,  and  in 
the  most  luxurious  passenger  cars. 

One  year  ago,  every  pound  of  freight,  owned  either  by 
the  Government  or  individuals,  had  to  be  transported 
west  of  the  Missouri,  by  means  of  ox  or  mule  teams,  at 
the  slow  rate  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  per  day.  To-day  > 
cars  heavily  laden  with  Government  stores  and  private 
freight,  destined  for  the  western  slope  of  the  continent, 
are  attached  to  the  construction  trains,  and  find  their 
way  in  twenty-four  hours  to  the  end  of  the  track,  many 
miles  west  of  the  one  hundredth  meridian. 

One  year  ago,  the  great  Union  Pacific  Railroad  was 
regarded  as  a  myth,  and  the  men  engaged  in  and  con- 
trolling it,  as  a  set  of  stock-jobbing  "Wall-street  speculators. 
To-day,  it  is  known  and  felt  to  be  a  power  and  a  reality ; 
and  Mr.  Durant  and  his  associates  are  believed  to  be  in 
earnest,  and  fully  capable  of  carrying  out  to  successful 


52  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

completion  the  mammoth,  work  which  they  have  under- 
taken. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  this  great  transition  has 
been  accomplished  in  one  short  year,  in  a  country  desti- 
tute of  labor,  materials,  and  supplies ;  and  with  nothing 
but  the  dangerous  and  uncertain  navigation  of  the  Mis- 
souri Eiver  to  rely  upon  during  the  summer  months  as  a 
base  of  operations,  it  must  be  admitted  that  a  new  era  is 
dawning,  or  rather  has  already  been  successfully  inaugu- 
rated, in  the  history  of  railroad  construction. 

ARRIVAL,  AT  OMAHA-TROUBLES  AT  THE  HERNDON. 

Arrriving  at  the  Omaha  depot  in  the  early  evening,  we 
were  met  by  our  genial  friend  Major  Bent,  of  burnetiz- 
ing  notoriety,  who  kindly  assisted  us  to  the  Herndon 
House,  and  saw  that  we  were  comfortably  quartered  for 
the  night. 

We  found,  however,  that  the  Herndon,  which  has  long 
been  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  institutions 
of  Omaha,  was  in  a  sort  of  transition  state,  and  its  guests, 
as  the  farmers  say,  "  between  hay  and  grass."  Our  long 
time  friend,  and  distinguished  host,  Mr.  Allan,  had  been 
called  upon  by  Dr.  Monell,  the  landlord,  to  surrender  its 
use  and  occupation  into  the  fair  hands  of  Mrs.  Brown- 
son,  who  had  recently  leased  it,  and  stood  ready  to  enter 
upon  the  duties  of  hostess  as  soon  as  Mr.  Allan  could 
find  it  convenient  to  evacuate  the  premises,  all  of  which 
the  said  Allan  seemed  in  no  haste  to  do. 

An  entire  week  had  been  spent  by  the  parties  in  strat- 
egy and  legal  skirmishing,  during  which  it  was  not  unu- 
sual for  Allan,  on  visiting  the  kitchen  in  the  morning,  to 
find  Mrs.  Brownson's  cooking-stove  standing  in  the  place 
of  his  own,  which  had  been  thrown  over  the  adjoining 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILKOAD.  53 

fence  during  the  night ;  and  not  unfrequently  were  the 
guests  of  the  house  stopped  in  the  middle  of  a  meal 
(while  waiting,  perhaps,  for  more  warm  cakes),  by  intelli- 
gence from  the  waiter  that  the  stove  had  just  been  thrown 
out  of  the  kitchen.  Fortunately  for  us,  however,  Mrs. 
Brownson's  stove  was  outside  of  the  fence  when  we 
arrived,  and  remained  so  during  the  following  day, 
Sunday. 


DEPARTURE  OF  MR.  WILLIAMS. 

But  the  condition  of  affairs  about  the  hotel  seemed 
so  unsettled  and  critical  that  Mr.  Williams  concluded 
to  cross  over  the  river  to  Council  Bluffs,  during  Sunday 
afternoon,  where  he  could  enjoy  that  rest  and  quiet 
which  he  so  much  needed  after  his  long  and  fatiguing 
journey  ;  and  at  the  same  time  be  prepared  to  take  the 
stage  on  Monday  morning  for  Dennison,  and  there  take 
the  cars  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Eailroad,  for 
his  home  at  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana. 

In  parting  from  Mr.  Williams,  I  desire  to  say,  that  it 
has  never  been  my  good  fortune  to  spend  so  many  weeks, 
either  socially  or  professionally,  with  a  more  agreeable 
and  intelligent  gentleman  and  travelling  companion ;  and 
I  hope  he  may  live  long  to  give  the  world  the  benefits 
of  his  sound  judgment,  and  professional  skill  and  expe- 
rience, in  all  matters  connected  with  our  great  national 
improvements,  such  as  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad,  with 
which  he  has  been  so  long,  and  so  honorably  connected. 


54  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 


VII. 

TWO    WEEKS   AT   OMAHA WILD   GEESE   AND   DUCK    SHOOTING! ADVENT 

OF  CHICAGO  AND  NORTHWESTERN  RAILROAD  AGENTS  ON  THEIR 
WAY  TO  DENVER PARTING  SPEECH  OF  MR.  TAPPEN — ANTICI- 
PATED ARRIVAL  OF  THE  GREAT  PACIFIC  RAILROAD  EXCURSION 

ITS    ANTECEDENTS  AND    OBJECTS — DEPARTURE  FROM  NEW  YORK  — 

ARRIVAL   AT   CHICAGO,    ST.   JOSEPH,    AND    OMAHA FORMATION    OF 

THE    ELKHORN    CLUB RECEPTION  AND    BALL   AT    OMAHA. 

OMAHA,  NEBEASKA,   Oct.  23,  1866. 

The  difficulties  at  the  Herndon  House,  heretofore 
alluded  to,  were  amicably  arranged  on  the  Monday  fol- 
lowing our  arrival  from  the  Eocky  Mountains  ;  and  Mrs. 
Brownson,  the  new  lessee,  was  fully  installed  in  quiet 
possession. 

A  favored  few  of  the  guests  were  allowed  to  retain  our 
rooms  in  the  gloomy,  half-deserted  house  ;  and  vegetate, 
as  best  we  could,  among  the  restaurants,  until  the  hotel 
could  be  renovated  and  refurnished. 

Mrs.  Brownson  will  not  only  prove  herself  to  be  a  public 
benefactor,  but  do  much  towards  establishing  the  doctrine 
of  the  social  and  business  equality,  and  vested  rights,  of 
women,  if  she  succeeds  in  the  hazardous  undertaking  of 
keeping  a  good  hotel.  She  certainly  has  the  best  wishes 
of  her  numerous  friends  in  the  town,  as  well  as  of  the 
railroad  people  and  travelling  public  generally. 

But  the  city  of  Omaha  should  boast  of  several  first- 
class  hotels.  The  town  is  growing,  and  will  continue  to 
grow  rapidly.  It  has  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Eailroad ;  and  is  the  half-way  point  between 
Chicago  and  the  Eocky  Mountains.  No  finer  site  was 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILROAD.  55 

ever  selected  for  a  large  city ;  and  the  country  about  it 
cannot  be  excelled  for  beauty,  as  well  as  productiveness. 
Elegant  residences,  and  large  brick  blocks  of  stores,  are 
continually  being  erected.  "  The  Credit  Foncier  of 
America,"  and  other  capitalists,  are  making  large  invest- 
ments there,  and  the  inhabitants  are  wealthy,  energetic, 
and  liberal.  Why,  then,  not  give  us  one  or  two  more 
hotels,  equal  at  least  to  the  Tremont,  and  Sherman  House 
of  Chicago? 

WILD    G-EESE    AND    DUCK    SHOOTING-. 

Having  received  orders  to  remain  for  the  present  at 
Omaha,  I  was  very  glad  of  an  opportunity,  when  other 
duties  would  permit,  of  accompanying  my  friend  Collins 
on  his  hunting  expeditions  to  the  Florence  lakes,  a 
few  miles  above  Omaha,  where  fat  wild  geese  and 
ducks  did  much  abound.  And  here  I  must  be  permitted 
to  say,  that  a  young  wild  goose,  when  cooked  under  the 
supervision  of  Mrs.  Collins,  is  the  finest  eating  of  the 
feathered  game  kind  that  I  ever  tasted. 

My  friend  Major  Bent  would  sometimes  join  us  in  these 
excursions,  and  then  we  would  be  sure  to  return  with 
enough  game  to  supply  our  restaurant  table  for  one  or 
two  days. 

CHICAGO  AND   NORTHWESTERN   RAILWAY   AGENTS. 

Another  pleasant  incident,  in  this  somewhat  dull  and 
monotonous  period  of  my  Western  sojourn,  was  the 
advent  of  Messrs.  Tappen,  Patrick  and  Brown,  heads  of 
the  freight  and  passenger  departments  of  that  "  Great 
connecting  link"  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Eailroad, 
who  tarried  a  few  days  at  Council  Bluffs  and  Omaha,  as 
they  were  passing  on  their  way  to  Denver,  for  the  pur- 


56  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

pose  of  establishing  offices,  and  making  other  business 
arrangements  in  connection  with  their  road,  and  its  far- 
reaching  Western  tributaries. 

As  they  started  westward,  on  the  morning  of  the  17th 
October,  in  a  special  train  laden  with  demijohns,  cases, 
canned  meats,  fruits  and  pickles,  rolls  of  buffalo  robes 
and  blankets ;  together  with  almost  any  number  of  breech- 
loading  carbines  and  revolvers,  one  would  think  that  they 
expected  to  spend  at  least  six  months  among  savage 
beasts  and  Indians,  before  returning  to  the  land  of 
civilization. 


PARTING-  SPEECH  OF  MB.  TAPPEN. 

When  the  train  was  about  starting  from  the  depot  at 
Omaha,  Mr.  Tappen  was  loudly  called  upon  by  his  friends 
who  remained  behind,  for  a  few  parting  words.  Upon 
which  he  promptly  made  his  appearance  upon  the  rear 
platform,  raised  his  hat,  bowed  gracefully  to  the  audience, 
steadied  himself  by  a  firm  hold  upon  the  railing,  and 
spoke  substantially  as  follows : 

"  FELLOW-CITIZENS  :  But  a  few  short  years  ago,  the 
spot  on  which  my  foot  now  rests,  was  part  and  parcel  of 
a  howling  wilderness" — just  here,  the  sudden  starting  of 
the  train  so  disturbed  the  spot  upon  which  the  distin- 
guished speaker's  foot  was  resting,  that  he  came  near 
being  thrown  overboard;  but,  on  recovering  himself 
instantly,  he  proceeded  with  great  composure  to  say : 

"During  a  somewhat  short  but  eventful  life,  I  have  held 
every  position,  from" — at  this  point,  the  train  being  fairly 
under  way,  it  became  quite  difficult  to  hear  distinctly, 
except  the  closing  sentence,  which  was  as  follows  : 

"I  leave  the  Great  connecting  link  in  your  hands,  while 
I  proceed  to  swing  around  the" — the  remainder  of  this 


UNION  PACIFIC  KAILROAD.  57 

happy  speech  was  lost ;  but  the  speaker  evidently  alluded 
to  a  curve  in  advance  of  the  train. 

The  train  soon  disappeared,  but  the  telegraph  wires 
kept  us  continually  posted,  during  the  day,  as  to  the  pro- 
gress of  the  party ;  and  the  nature  of  the  despatches  was 
such  as  to  afford  the  most  gratifying  evidence  of  the 
expansive  powers  of  the  air  and  scenery  west  of  the 
Missouri  Eiver,  particularly  when  a  party,  like  our  friends, 
are  borne  for  the  first  time  with  railroad  speed  along 
the  broader  expanse  of  the  great  Platte  Valley,  on  their 
westward  course  to  the  Eocky  Mountains. 

The  following  specimens  have  fortunately  been  pre- 
served : 

FBEMONT,  10:12  A.  M. — "  Green  leaves  grew  where  my 
hand  now  rests.  Wild  beasts  roamed  unmolested  by  the 
hand  of  man.  More  to  come." 

NORTH  BEND,  10:35  A.  M.— "  The  shrill  whoop  of  the 
savage  alone  broke  the  solitude  and  silence  of  nature.  It 
was  at  this  epoch  of  our  nation's  existence,  that  two 
solitary  horsemen  might  have  been  seen — To  be  con- 
tinued." 

COLUMBUS,  11:25  A.  M.— "  Or  words  to  that  effect.  Con- 
clusion." 


ANTICIPATED    ARRIVAL    OF    THE    GREAT    EXCURSION. 

By  far  the  most  exciting  event  of  all,  however,  was  the 
official  announcement  received  on  Thursday,  October  18 
that  the  great  Pacific  Eailroad  Excursion  had  reached 
Chicago,  on  its  way  westward  from  New  York,  and  that 
it  might  be  expected  to  arrive  at  Omaha  on  the  following 
Monday  morning. 

The  worthy  Mayor  immediately  convened  the  Com- 
mon Council ;  and  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Trade 

3* 


58  WESTEKN  INCIDENTS. 

called  that  august  body  together  at  once,  for  the  purpose 
of  conferring  upon  the  subject,  and  giving  a  proper  re- 
ception to  the  distinguished  strangers. 

It  was  finally  arranged  that  the  freedom  of  the  city 
should  be  tendered  to  the  excursionists ;  and  that  a  grand 
reception  ball  and  supper  should  be  given  them  at  the 
Hernden  House,  on  the  evening  of  their  arrival  in  town. 

ANTECEDENTS  AND  OBJECTS  OF  THE  EXCURSION. 

Before  speaking  further  of  this  great  excursion,  it  may 
be  well  to  refer  briefly  to  its  objects,  as  well  as  to  its  im- 
mediate antecedents. 

The  public  generally,  is  so  ignorant  respecting  the 
identity  of  the  many  railroads  in  this  country,  which  bear 
in  some  form  the  appellation  of  Pacific,  that  I  will  take 
the  liberty  of  inserting  the  following  letter  written  upon 
that  subject,  and  published  for  general  information,  more 
than  a  year  ago,  in  the  National  Intelligencer,  at  Wash, 
ington. 

The  status  of  many  of  the  roads  referred  to  has  un- 
doubtedly become  changed  somewhat  since  the  letter  was 
written ;  but  it  is  believed  that  it  will  be  found  substan- 
tially correct  for  our  present  purpose  : — 

UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 

Confused  Ideas  as  to  its  Locality — Nine  Different  Pacific  Railroads — 
Location  and  Present  Condition  of  Each — Government  Aid,  etc. 

OFFICE  OF  THE  UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD  COMPANY,  j 

No.  13  WILLIAM  STREET,  NEW  YORK,  February  10, 1866.  j 

To  the  Editors  of  the  National  Intelligencer : — 

So  much  doubt  and  confusion  appears  to  exist  in  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  possibly  of  some  members  of  Congress,  in  relation  to  the 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILROAD.  59 

locality,  present  condition,  and  future  prospects  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad,  that,  with  your  permission,  I  will  endeavor  to  throw  some 
light  up  on  the  subject. 

There  are,  at  the  present  time,  no  less  than  nine  different  projects, 
or  organizations,  known  as  Pacific  railroads — and,  consequently,  when 
allusion  is  made  to  either  one  of  these,  it  is  erroneously,  and  some- 
times quite  injuriously,  applied  to  the  one  great  trunk  line  chartered 
by  Congress  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  railroad  through  the 
entire  Territories  of  the  United  States,  and  thus  connecting  the  rail- 
roads of  the  extreme  Eastern  and  Western  States  in  one  continuous 
line  across  the  continent. 

In  speaking  of  these  different  organizations,  I  shah1  refer  to  them  in 
their  proper  geographical  order,  from  the  east  and  south  to  the  west 
and  north ;  and  shall  endeavor  to  confine  myself  to  a  simple  and  con- 
cise statement  of  facts : 

1.  The  Pacific  Railroad  of  Missouri,  a  State  organization,  extending 
from  the  city  of  St.  Louis  to  the  east  line  of  Kansas,  at  or  near  Kansas 
City,  a  distance  of  283  miles.     This  road  is  now  completed  and  in 
operation. 

2.  The  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division,  extending  from  the 
western  terminus  of  the   Missouri  Pacific  Railroad,  at  the  eastern 
boundary  of  Kansas,  to  an  intersection  with  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road, "  at  a  point  on  the  one-hundredth  meridian  of  longitude  west  from 
Greenwich,  between  the  south  margin  of  the  Republican  River  and 
the  north  margin  of  the  valley  of  the  Platte  River,  in  the  Territory  of 
Nebraska,  at  a  point  to  be  fixed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States 
after  actual  surveys."     The  total  distance  is  about  380  miles.     This  is 
also  a  State  organization,  and  was  formerly  known  as  the  "  Leaven- 
worth,  Pawnee,  and  Western  Railroad  Company  of  Kansas ;"  but  the 
Company,  in  1863,  assumed  the  name  of"  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern 
Division,"  by  which  title  it  has  since  been  recognized.    This  Company 
receives  the  same  amount  and  kind  of  aid  from  the  General  Govern- 
ment as  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  which,  to  avoid  repetition,  will  be 
described  in  connection  with  that  road.     The  laying  of  track  was  com- 
menced in  1863,  since  which  sixty-two  miles  have  been  completed, 
and  the  road  is  now  open  for  use  to  Topeka,  the  capital  of  the  State. 

This  Company  is  also  required  to  "  build  a  railroad  from  the  city  of 
Leavenworth,  to  unite  with  the  main  stem  at  or  near  the  city  of 
Lawrence  ;  but  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  said  branch  the  said  Com- 


60  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

pany  shall  not  be  entitled  to  any  bonds."    This  branch  will  be  com- 
pleted early  next  season. 

3.  The  Central  or  Atchison  Branch   of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad, 
extending  from  Atchison,  on  the  Missouri  river,  in  Kansas,  to  an  in- 
tersection with  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division,  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  Kansas  River  or  Republican  Fork.    This  Company  by  virtue 
of  an  assignment  from  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company, 
receives  the  same  aid  from  the  Government  as  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road for  the  first  one  hundred  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  River.    The 
grading  and  mechanical  work  upon  the  first  section  of  twenty  miles  is 
substantially  completed,  the  iron  on  hand,  and  track-laying  com- 
menced.   The  second  section  of  twenty  miles  is  under  contract  to  be 
completed  by  the  first  of  May  next.    There  is  now  a  railroad  connec- 
tion from  the  east,  via  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph,  and  Platte  Country 
railroads,  to  a  point  on  the  east  bank  of  the   Missouri  opposite 
Atchison. 

4.  The  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  extending  from  the  western  boundary 
of  the  State  of  Iowa,  at  Omaha,  "  to  the  western  boundary  of  the 
Territory  of  Nevada,  there  to  connect  with  the  line  of  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  of  California,"  a  distance  of  about  sixteen 
hundred  miles.    The  capital  stock  is   one  hundred  million  dollars. 
The   organization  is  entirely  the  creation  of  Congress,  and  being 
located  within  the  Territories,  is  not  subject  to  any  State  or  municipal 
regulations.    To  aid  in  its  construction  the  Government  grants  "  every 
alternate  section  of  public  land,  designated  by  odd  numbers,  to  the 
amount  of  ten  alternate  sections  per  mile,  on  each  side  of  said  railroad 
on  the  line  thereof,  and  within  the  limits  of  twenty  miles  on  each  side 
of  said  road,  not  sold,  reserved,  or  otherwise  set  aside  by  the  United 
States,  and  to  which  a  pre-emption  or  homestead  claim  may  not  have 
attached  at  the  time  the  line   of  said  road  is  definitely  fixed."    The 
law  further  provides  that  "  said  company  shall  designate  the  general 
route  of  said  road,  as  near  as  may  be,  and  shall  file  a  map  of  the  same 
in  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  whereupon  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  shall  cause  the  lands  within  twenty-five  miles  of  said  desig- 
nated route  or  routes  to  be  withdrawn  from  pre-emption,  private 
entry,  and  sale  ;  and  when  any  portion  of  said  route  shall  be  finally 
located,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  shall  cause  the  said  lands  herein- 
before granted  to  be  surveyed  and  set  off  as  fast  as  may  be  necessary 
for  the  purposes  herein  named. 


UNION  PACIFIC  KAILKOAD.  61 

To  aid  further  in  the  construction  of  this  road,  the  law  provides  that 
as  certain  portions  therein  specified  are  fully  completed  and  equipped, 
the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  shall  "  issue  to  said  Company  bonds  of 
the  United  States  of  one  thousand  dollars  each,  payable  in  thirty  years 
after  date,  bearing  six  per  centum  per  annum  interest  (said  interest 
payable  semi-annually),  which  interest  may  be  paid  in  United  States 
Treasury  notes,  or  any  other  money  or  currency  which  the  United 
States  have  or  shall  declare  lawful  money  and  a  legal  tender,"  as  fol- 
lows :  "  For  three  hundred  miles  of  said  road,  most  mountainous  and 
difficult  of  construction,  to  wit :  One  hundred  and  fifty  miles  west- 
wardly  from  the  eastern  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  eastwardly  from  the  western  base  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  said  points  to  be  fixed  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States,"  forty-eight  thousand  dollars  per  mile  ;  and  between  the 
sections  last  named  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  each,  thirty-two 
thousand  dollars  per  mile;  and  for  the  entire  balance  of  the  road,  sixteen 
thousand  dollars  per  mile.  These  bonds  constitute  a  second  mortgage 
upon  the  whole  line  of  the  railroad,  rolling  stock,  and  fixtures,  and 
"  one-half  of  the  compensation  for  services  rendered  for  the  Gov- 
ernment shall  be  required  to  be  applied  to  the  payment  of  the 
bonds  issued  by  the  Government."  The  Company  is  also  authorized 
to  "  issue  their  first  mortgage  bonds  to  an  amount  not  exceeding  the 
amount  of  the  bonds  of  the  United  States,  and  of  even  tenor  and  date, 
time  of  maturity,  rate  and  character  of  interest,"  with  the  Government 
bonds,  "  and  the  lien  of  the  United  States  shall  be  subordinate  to  " 
these  first  mortgage  bonds  ;  and  it  is  also  authorized  to  issue  these 
bonds  "  to  the  extent  of  one  hundred  miles  in  advance  of  a  continu- 
ous completed  line  of  construction." 

The  work  of  construction  has  been  materially  hindered  during 
the  past  year  by  the  delay  of  the  President  of  the  United  States 
in  deciding  upon  a  question  of  location  near  the  eastern  terminus. 
The  laying  of  track  was  commenced  in  July  last,  and  forty  miles 
were  completed  and  examined  by  the  Government  commissioners 
on  the  6th  instant.  Since  that  time  the  track  has  been  extended 
to  Fremont,  fifty-five  miles  from  Omaha.  The  grading  of  the 
first  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  is  now  completed,  and  arrange- 
ments are  perfected  for  opening  one  hundred  miles  to  the  public 
before  the  4th  of  July  next.  The  progress  of  the  work  is  very 
much  retarded  and  embarrassed  by  the  want  of  an  easterly  railroad 
connection;  but  it  is  hoped  that  this  will  be  remedied  during  the 
present  year. 


62  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

Large  and  commodious  brick  shops,  engine  and  station  houses 
have  been  constructed  by  the  Company  at  the  Eastern  terminus  of  the 
road,  and  these  will  be  repeated  as  often  as  may  be  necessary  to 
operate  the  road  successfully. 

The  surveys  of  several  routes  have  been  extended  as  far  west  as 
the  meridian  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  of  one  line  to  the  Humboldt  Val- 
ley ;  but  the  location  cannot  be"  regarded  as  definitely  fixed  beyond 
the  first  two  hundred  miles. 

5.  The  Sioux  City  and  Pacific  Railroad,  extending  from  Sioux  City, 
Iowa,  on  the  Missouri  River,  to  a  connection  with  the  main  line  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad,  "  said  point  of  junction  to  be  fixed  by  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  not  further  west  than  the  one  hun- 
dredth meridian  of  longitude  aforesaid,  and  on  the  same  terms  and  con- 
ditions as  provided  in  this  act"  (approved  July  1, 1862)  "for  the  con- 
struction of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad."     This  branch  was  originally 
to  have  been  constructed  by  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company ; 
but  the  act  of  July  1, 1862,  was  amended  by  the  act  of  July  2, 1864, 
so  as  to  release  the  Union  Pacific  Company,  and  authorize  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  to  designate  a  Company  to  construct  it 
upon  the   same  terms  and  conditions  as  were  previously  granted 
to    the    Union    Pacific    Company,  with    an    additional    grant    of 
"  alternate  sections  of  land  for  ten  miles  in  width  on  each  side  of 
the  same  along  the  whole  length  of  said  branch."    The  President,  on 
the  24th  December,  1864,  designated  the  "  Sioux  City  and  Pacific 
Railroad  Company"  for  this  purpose.     The  map  designating  the  gen- 
eral route  of  the  road  was  filed  in  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  June 
27, 1865.    Nothing  further  has  been  done  towards  its  construction. 

6.  The  Central  Pacific  Railroad  of  California,  extending  "  from  the 
Pacific  coast,  at  or  near  San  Francisco  or  the  navigable  waters  of  the 
Sacramento  River,  to  the  eastern  boundary  of  California."    This  is  a 
State  organization,  but  it  receives  from  the  General  Government  the 
same  aid  as  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.    It  has  also  been  authorized 
by  Congress  to  extend  its  road  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  eastward 
into  Nevada,  in  case  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  is  not  completed  to 
the  State  line  when  it  arrives  there.    This  Company  has  transferred  to 
the  Western  Pacific  Railroad  Company  the  right  to  construct  the  road 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the 
line  easterly  from  Sacramento  to   the   State  line,  a  distance  of  164 
miles.    The  laying  of  the  track  was  commenced  in  June,  1864,  and 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  63 

56  miles  of  road  have  since  been  completed  and  accepted  by  the  Gov- 
ernment. Seventeen  additional  miles  of  grading  are  now  completed, 
and  the  balance  of  the  grading  is  well  under  way.  The  line,  as  estab- 
lished by  the  Company,  intersects  the  easterly  boundary  of  California 
in  the  valley  of  the  Truckee  River. 

7.  The  Western  Pacific  Railroad  of  California,  extending  from  Sac- 
ramento to  San  Francisco,  by  way  of  San  Jose,  a  distance  of  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  miles.    This  is  also  a  State  organization,  and  receives, 
through  an  assignment  from  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
which    has  received  the  sanction  of  Congress,  the  same  aid  from 
the  Government  as  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  Companies.     The 
line  from  San  Jose  to  San  Francisco,  a  distance  of  fifty  miles,  is  com- 
pleted.   From  San  Jose  eastward,  twenty  miles  are  about  completed, 
and  the  iron  for  the  balance  of  the  distance  to  Sacramento  is  already 
purchased  and  going  forward.    The  grading  is  entirely  out  of  the 
way. 

8.  The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  of  California,  extending  from  the 
bay  of  San  Francisco  to  the  port  of  San  Diego,  and  thence  to  the  east 
line  of  the  State  of  California,  a  distance   of  about  four  hundred  and 
twenty  miles.    Capital  $30,000,000.     This  is  a  State  organization,  and 
receives  no  aid  from  the  General  Government.  Very  little,  if  any,  work 
has  been  done  up  to  the  present  time. 

9.  The  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  extending  from  the  head 
of  Lake  Superior  to  Puget  Sound,  "  with   a  branch  via  the  valley  of 
the  Columbia  River  to  a  point  at  or  near  Portland,  in  the  State  of  Ore- 
gon."   Capital  stock  $100,000,000.    This  Company  was  chartered  by 
Congress   in  1864.    The  Company  receives  from  the   Government 
"  every  alternate   section  of  public  land,  not  mineral,  designated  by 
odd  numbers,  to  the  amount  of  twenty  alternate  sections  per  mile  on 
each  side  of  said  railroad  line  as   said  Company  may  adopt,  through 
the  Territories  of  the  United  States,  and  ten  alternate  sections  per 
mile  on  each  side   of  said  railroad  whenever  it  passes  through  any 
State,  and  whenever  on  the  line  thereof  the  United  States  have  full 
title,  not  reserved,  sold,  granted,  or  otherwise  appropriated,  and  free 
from  pre-emption  or  other  claims  or  rights  at  the  time  the  line  of  said 
road  is  definitely  fixed,  and  a  plan  thereof  filed  in  the  olfice  of  the 
Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office  ;  and  whenever  prior  to  that 
time  any  of  said  sections  or  parts  of  sections  shall  have  been  granted 
sold,  reserved,   occupied  by  homestead  settlers,  or  pre-empted  or 


64  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

otherwise  disposed  of,  other  lands  shall  be  selected  by  said  Company 
in  lieu  thereof,  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  in 
alternate  sections  and  designated  by  odd  numbers,  not  more  than  ten 
miles  beyond  the  limits  of  said  alternate  sections." 

I  am  not  aware  that  anything  further  than  an  organization  of  the 
Company  has  been  effected  up  to  the  present  time. 

In  addition  to  the  above  it  may  be  proper  to  mention  the  old 
organization  known  as  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  which  was  in- 
tended to  run  from  Memphis  to  San  Diego,  about  which  very  little 
has  been  heard  for  some  years. 

S.  SEYMOUR, 
Consulting  Engineer,  U.  P.  E.  R. 

GENERAL   SIMPSON'S   SPEECH. 

The  following  speech  of  General  Simpson,  President 
of  the  Board  of  Government  Commissioners  (copied  from 
the  Chicago  Tribune),  delivered  at  Chicago,  on  the  return 
of  the  excursionists,  will  also  be  found  to  contain  much 
interesting  and  valuable,  as  well  as  later  information  upon 
this  subject : — 

MR.  MAYOR,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  : — 

The  interests  of  the  Pacific  Eailroad  have  been  ably  pre- 
sented by  the  gentlemen  who  have  preceded  me  ;  but  as  there 
are  some  points  upon  which  they  have  not  touched,  and  it 
may  be  expected  of  me,  as  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners on  the  road  and  its  branches  east  of  the  Kocky 
Mountains ;  and  the  officer  to  whom  has  been  intrusted  by  the 
President  of  the  United  States  the  charge  of  the  road  and  its 
branches,  so  far  as  concerns  the  General  Government,  to  say 
something  in  this  regard,  I  trust  I  shall  be  pardoned  for 
making  the  following  statement : — 

MAGNITUDE   OF   THE   ENTERPRISE. 

Preliminary,  however,  to  this,  I  cannot  but  generally 
descant  upon  the  magnitude  and  importance  of  this  great  en- 
terprise. If  we  take  a  railroad  map  of  our  country,  we 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILBOAD.  65 

cannot  but  be  struck  with  the  net  of  railroads  which  traverse 
our  domain  on  the  east  side  of  the  Missouri  River,  from  Maine 
to  Florida.  This  bird's-eye  view  immediately  evolves  the 
immense  traffic,  social  comfort,  and  political  homogeneity  and 
harmony  which  these  roads  must  develop  and  enforce  ;  and 
not  only  so,  it  also  discloses  the  wonderful  progress  which 
has  been  made  in  bringing  the  different  sections  of  the  por- 
tion of  our  country  alluded  to,  in  close  bonds  of  affiliation,  and 
therefore  of  Christian  love  and  sympathy. 

But  still  farther  scanning  the  map  of  our  extended  country, 
we  find  a  most  important  portion  of  our  domain  along  the 
Pacific  coast,  already  filled  with  a  teeming  population,  and 
capable,  agriculturally,  mineralogically,  commercially,  mili- 
tarily, politically  and  socially,  of  still  farther  development,  so 
remotely  situated,  with  regard  to  the  portion  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Missouri  Kiver — so  isolated  by  distance  and  barriers  of 
mountain  chains  and  extended  deserts,  that  it  at  once  suggests 
the  deficiency  and  the  absolute  requirements  of  the  extension 
of  our  railroad  system,  so  as  to  bring  this  portion  of  our 
republic  into  closer  and  more  sympathetic  relation  with  the 
other  ;  and  thus  to  bind  all  portions  of  our  country  in  one 
homogeneous  organism  of  political,  military,  social,  com- 
mercial and  Christian  nationality  and  power. 

This  is  to  be  effected  by  the  Pacific  Eailroad  and  branches  ; 
and  because  of  their  infinite  importance  in  this  respect,  their 
completion  ought  to  be  pushed  forward  by  the  people  and  Gov- 
ernment with  the  greatest  possible  dispatch. 

CONGRESSIONAL  ACTION. 

The  acts  of  Congress  bearing  on  this  important  project  are 
chiefly  the  act  of  July  1,  1862,  the  act  of  July  2,  1864,  and 
the  act  of  July  3,  1866.  These  acts,  as  they  now  stand,  author- 
ize the  construction  of  one  main  line,  commencing  at  Omaha, 
Nebraska,  the  initial  point  fixed  agreeably  to  law  by  the  late 
President  Lincoln,  and  extending  westward  in  the  most  direct 


66  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

and  practicable  line,  till  it  meets  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad 
of  California,  extending  eastward  from  San  Francisco.  These 
two  Companies  are  unrestricted  in  the  extent  of  the  road  they 
shall  build,  except  that  they  are  required  to  locate  and  join  their 
respective  portions  in  the  most  direct  and  practicable  manner. 

THE  UNION    PACIFIC  ROAD. 

The  Union  Pacific  has  been  constructed  and  accepted  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  west  from  Omaha  to  the 
two  hundred  and  seventieth  mile  post,  or  to  a  point  seventy- 
seven  miles  west  from  Fort  Kearny  ;  and  the  probabilities  are 
that  by  the  setting  in  of  winter  there  will  be  about  three 
hundred  and  ten  miles  of  the  road  finished  ;  which  will  carry 
it  beyond  the  Forks  of  the  Platte,  and  embrace  the  bridge 
now  near  completion  over  the  North  Fork.  The  surveys  for 
this  road  have  extended  across  the  Rocky  and  Wasatch 
Mountains  to  the  valley  of  the  Humboldt  ;  and  lines  of  routes 
have  been  found  which  will  not  require  a  grade,  at  any  point, 
over  one  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  per  mile,  the  maximum 
grade  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  the  limit  fixed 
by  law. 

THE   CENTRAL   PACIFIC   ROAD. 

The  Central  Pacific  of  California,  on  the  6th  of  the  present 
month,  had  been  graded  from  Sacramento  eastwardly  to 
Cisco,  a  distance  of  ninety-three  miles,  or  to  a  point  within 
twelve  miles  of  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  ;  and  the 
track  has  been  laid  from  Sacramento,  eighty  miles  of  that  dis- 
tance, and  the  cars  are  running  thereon.  The  surveys  show  a 
perfectly  feasible  route  over  the  Sierra  Nevada,  with  maximum 
grades  within  the  limits  prescribed  by  the  law  ;  and  as  they 
show  a  very  easy  line  along  the  valley  of  the  Humboldt,  not 
requiring  a  grade  over  fifty-three  feet  to  the  mile,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Company,  Leland  Stanford,  Esq.,  confidently  antici- 
pates that  they  will  be  able  to  reach  Great  Salt  Lake  during 
the  year  1870. 


UNION  PACIFIC  KAILBOAD.  67 

BRANCH  ROADS. 

The  branch  roads  west  from  the  Missouri  river  joining  the 
Union  Pacific  Kailroad,  are,  commencing  at  the  most  northern 
point  and  running  southwardly,  first  : — 

THE   SIOUX   CITY  AND   PACIFIC   RAILROAD, 

extending  from  Sioux  City  westwardly,  and  to  join  in  the 
most  practicable  and  direct  manner  at  such  part  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Eailroad  as  the  Company  may  select.  Surveys,  I  have 
been  informed  by  Mr.  John  J.  Blair,  the  President  of  this 
Company,  have  been  made  for  this  road,  but  as  they  have  not 
yet  been  officially  reported  to  the  Government,  the  final 
location  of  the  route  has  not  yet  been  established,  and 
nothing  further  remains  to  be  said  than  that  no  work  has  yet 
been  done  on  this  branch.  Next, 

THE  EXTENSION   OF   THE   BURLINGTON   AND   MISSOURI   RIVER   RADLROAD, 

which  by  law  is  to  cross  the  Missouri  Eiver  south  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Platte,  and,  according  to  the  map  filed  in  the  Interior 
Department,  has  been  located  by  the  Company  as  far  as 
Kearny  City,  along  the  south  side  of  the  Platte,  and  getting 
into  the  Platte  Valley  again  within  eighteen  or  twenty  miles 
east  of  Fort  Kearny.  The  road  is  to  join  the  Union  Pacific, 
not  further  west  than  the  one  hundredth  meridian  of  west 
longitude.  No  work  has  been  commenced  on  this  branch. 
Next, 

THE     EXTENSION   OF     THE   HANNIBAL     AND   ST.   JOSEPH     RAILROAD,   BY     THE 
WAY    OF   ATCHISON, 

which  the  Company  have,  by  law,  the  option  of  connecting 
in  the  most  direct  and  feasible  way  with  the  Union  Pacific, 
not  farther  west  than  the  one  hundredth  meridian,  or  the 
Union  Pacific,  Eastern  Division,  without  restriction  to  dis- 
tance. Twenty  miles  of  this  road  west  from  Atchison  has 


68  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

been  constructed  and  accepted  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  another  section  of  twenty  miles  is  represented  to 
be  nearly  ready  for  examination  by  the  Commissioners.  The 
next  branch  is 

THE   UNION    PACIFIC   RAILWAY,   EASTERN    DIVISION, 

which  starts  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  River,  on  its  south 
side,  and  has  been  located  up  the  valley  of  the  Kansas  Eiver 
as  far  as  Fort  Eiley,  and  thence  across  to  and  up  the  valley 
of  the  Smoky  Hill  Fork,  as  far  as  the  western  boundary  of 
Kansas  ;  thence  it  is  to  go  to  Denver  City,  and  join  the 
Union  Pacific  at  a  point  not  farther  than  fifty  miles  west  from 
the  meridian  of  Denver.  This  road  has  been  accepted  by  the 
President  of  the  United  States  for  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  miles  west  from  the  initial  point  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Missouri  Eiver,  and  has  been  represented  recently  as  com- 
pleted and  the  cars  running  thereon  as  far  as  Fort  Eiley,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  miles. 

GOVERNMENT   AID. 

The  Union  Pacific  and  the  Central  Pacific  Eailroad  of  Cali- 
fornia, on  the  completion  of  sections  of  not  less  than  twenty 
miles  of  their  roads,  will  be  alike  entitled  to  bonds  respec- 
tively from  the  Government  to  the  extent  of  $16,000  per  mile 
from  their  initial  points  to  the  east  line  of  the  Eocky  Moun- 
tains, and  to  the  west  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  thence 
across  the  Eocky  Mountains  to  the  west  base  of  the  same  for 
a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  across  the 
Sierra  Nevada  to  the  east  base  of  the  same  for  a  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  they  respectively  got  three  times 
$16,000,  or  $48,000  per  mile.  Between  the  western  base  of 
the  Eocky  Mountains  and  the  eastern  base  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  they  will  be  entitled  to  twice  $16,000,  or  $32,000  per 
mile, 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILKOAD.  69 

Both  these  Companies  will,  by  law,  be  entitled  to  ten  alter- 
nate odd  sections  of  land  on  each  side  of  their  road,  not  sold, 
reserved,  or  otherwise  disposed  of  by  the  United  States,  and 
to  which  a  pre-emption  or  homestead  claim  may  not  have 
been  attached. 

The  Union  Pacific  Kailway,  Eastern  Division,  (properly  the 
Southern  Division"),  agreeably  to  the  act  of  July  3,  1866, 
receives,  on  the  completion  of  sections  of  at  least  twenty  miles 
of  its  road,  $16,000  per  mile,  for  a  distance  from  its  initial 
point  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  Eiver,  as  far  westward  as 
would  be  equal  to  the  length  of  its  road,  had  it,  according  to 
the  act  of  July  1, 1862,  joined  the  Pacific  Railroad  on  the  one 
hundredth  meridian  of  longitude,  between  the  north  bank  of 
the  Platte  Kiver,  and  the  south  bank  of  the  Republican  Fork 
of  the  Kansas  River.  This  road  is  entitled,  in  addition,  on  the 
completion  of  sections  of  not  less  than  twenty  miles  of  its 
road,  to  ten  alternate  odd  sections  of  land  on  each  side  of  its 
line,  subject  to  the  reservations,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Union 
Pacific  and  Central  Pacific  Railroad  before  stated. 

The  Atchison  and  Pike's  Peak  Railroad,  or  Pacific  extension 
of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  on  the  completion 
of  sections  of  not  less  than  twenty  miles,  gets  bonds  of 
$16,000  and  ten  alternate  sections  of  land  on  each  side  of  the 
road,  per  mile,  but  only  for  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles 
west  from  Atchison. 

The  Sioux  City  Pacific  Railroad  under  the  act  of  July  2, 
1864,  is  entitled  to  bonds  of  $16,000  per  mile  on  the  comple- 
tion of  sections  of  not  less  than  twenty  miles,  for  a  distance 
from  the  initial  point  at  Sioux  City,  not  greater  than  it  would 
have  been  entitled  to  under  the  act  of  July  1,  1862,  which  re- 
stricted its  junction  with  the  Union  Pacific,  at  a  point  not 
farther  west  than  the  one  hundredth  meridian  of  west  longi- 
tude. This  road  also  gets  land,  but  only  to  the  extent  of  five 
alternate  sections  within  a  limit  of  ten  miles  on  each  side  of 
the  road,  with  the  same  restrictions  as  stated  in  the  case  of 
the  roads  already  mentioned. 


70  WESTEKN  INCIDENTS. 

The  Pacific  extension  of  the  Burlington  and  Missouri  River 
Railroad,  by  the  act  of  July  2,  1864,  is  not  entitled  to  bonds, 
but  to  lands  to  the  extent  of  ten  alternate  odd  sections  on 
each  side  of  its  line  of  route. 


THE  COMPLETION  OP  THE  ROADS. 

Having  thus  given  the  chief  points  of  the  law  with  regard 
to  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  and  branches,  I  would  recall 
your  attention  to  the  anticipation  confidently  entertained  by 
Mr.  Stanford,  the  President  of  the  Central  Pacific  Company 
of  California,  that  they  will,  even  under  the  present  law,  be 
able  to  reach  Great  Salt  Lake  during  the  year  1870.  General 
Dix,  the  President  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
has  informed  me  that  they  will  meet  the  Central  Pacific,  of 
California  in  five  years  ;  and,  thus,  according  to  both  the 
gentlemen  named,  we  may  expect  the  completion  of  the  road 
in  1811,  or  six  years  before  the  1st  of  July,  18*11 — the  limit  fixed 
by  the  law.  It  is  submitted,  however,  that  as  the  work  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  and  Utah  will  be  very  heavy,  there  should 
be  some  legislation  which  will  enable  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
way Company  to  work  in  advance  of  their  completed  line,  at 
least  eight  hundred  miles  ;  so  that  the  Company  could  now  be 
employing  the  Mormons  in  Utah,  who,  with  the  "  Gentiles/7 
are  willing  and  anxious  to  take  contracts  for  grading  the 
road,  getting  out  the  ties,  and  making  the  necessary  iron. 
The  act  of  July  3,  1866,  enables  the  Union  Pacific,  and  Cen- 
tral Pacific  of  California,  to  work  three  hundred  miles  in 
advance  of  their  continuous  line  ;  but  while  this  privilege  is 
probably  sufficient  for  the  California  Company,  on  account  of 
the  nature  of  the  country  through  which  it  will  have  to  con- 
struct its  road,  it  is  not  so  for  the  Union  Pacific,  whose  diffi- 
cult portions  stretch  out  for  so  great  a  distance  west  of  their 
present  work.  It  is  hoped  that  this  matter  will  receive  the 
attention  of  Congress  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 


UNION  PACIFIC  KAILEOAD.  71 


CONFUSION    OF    NAMES. 


There  is  another  item  of  legislation  required,  which  has 
grown  out  of  the  confusion  that  exists  with  regard  to  the 
names  of  the  roads,  which  should  be  attended  to.  The  branch 
road,  which  starts  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  River,  is 
called  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division.  The  con- 
sequence is,  that  though  this  road  is  being  made  by  an  entirely 
different  Company  from  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
which  is  constructing  its  road  all  the  way  through  from 
Omaha,  till  it  meets  the  Central  Pacific  of  California,  the 
credit  or  discredit  which  attaches  to  the  one  naturally 
attaches  to  the  other,  to  the  enhancement  or  depreciation  of 
its  bonds  ;  and  already  I  am  informed  there  have  been  consid- 
erable serious  misapprehensions  existing  on  this  account,  to 
the  advantage  or  detriment  of  one  or  the  other  Company. 
This  liability  to  error  can  only  be  obviated  by  Congress 
changing  the  name  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern 
Division,  so  that  it  may  not  by  any  possibility  be  confounded 
with  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  with  which  it  is  in  no  way 
pecuniarily  connected.  A  sufficiently  distinctive  name  would 
be  the  Kansas  River  Branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad. 

BENEFITS   TO   CHICAGO. 

Thus,  Mr.  Mayor,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  have  at  some 
length  given  you  a  description  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
and  branches,  with  the  provisions  of  law  relating  thereto  ; 
but  I  cannot  close  my  remarks  without  pointing  out  to  you 
the  great  benefits  which  must  inure  to  your  city  from  the  com- 
pletion of  this  great  highway  of  nations.  Standing  as  you  do 
pre-eminently  related  to  the  great  lakes  of  the  North  ;  and  by 
your  railroads  with  all  portions  of  the  United  States  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  with  the  prestige  of  your 
past  and  present  growth  ;  and  immediately  on  the  great  air- 
line route  across  the  continent  from  New  York,  you  cannot 
but  become  the  great  entre-depot  of  trade  and  travel  of  the 


72  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

world  ;  and  therefore  without  doubt  one  of  the  greatest 
cities  of  the  world — second  on  this  continent  to  probably  only 
the  metropolis  of  New  York. 

Adding  my  thanks  to  those  of  the  gentlemen  who  have 
preceded  me  for  the  very  kind  and  munificent  reception 
which  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad  excursion  party  has  re- 
ceived at  your  hands,  I  will  here  close  my  already,  I  fear, 
too  extended  remarks. 


The  laws  of  Congress  require  that  the  first  one  hundred 
miles  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad,  west  of  the  Missouri 
Eiver,  shall  be  completed  on  or  before  the  27th  June, 
1866 ;  and  that  it  shall  be  completed  to  the  one-hundreth 
meridian  of  longitude,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-seven  miles  further,  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  miles 
per  year  thereafter ;  or,  say,  by  the  middle  of  December, 
1867. 

The  Eailroad  Company  however,  had,  in  utter  disre- 
gard of  all  precedents  in  railroad  construction,  completed 
the  first  one  hundred  miles  on  June  2d,  1866,  and  had 
laid  the  track  across  the  hundredth  meridian  on  the  5th 
October  of  the  same  year. 

In  fact,  the  Company  had  become  so  regardless  of  these 
precedents,  and  of  the  slow  progress  contemplated  by 
Congress,  that  it  had  allowed  Mr.  Eeed,  the  Engineer  in 
charge  of  construction,  to  do  the  grading,  construct  the 
bridges,  and  lay  the  superstructure,  all  complete,  upon 
two  hundred  and  forty-five  miles  of  road  in  one  hundred 
and  eighty-two  working  days  ;  averaging  more  than  one 
and  one-third  miles  per  day. 

It  was  therefore  deemed  expedient  and  proper,  by  the 
managers  of  this  great  national  enterprise,  that  the  com- 
pletion of  the  first  division,  extending  from  the  Missouri 
Eiver,  at  Omaha,  to  the  one-hundredth  meridian  of  longi- 


UNION  PACIFIC  KAILKOAD.  73 

tude,  within  considerably  less  than  a  year  from  the  time 
required  by  law,  should  not  only  be  suitably  advertised 
to  the  world,  but  satisfactorily  verified  by  the  proper 
officers  of  the  Government,  and  members  of  Congress. 

Invitations  were  accordingly  extended  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  and  members  of  his  Cabinet ;  also 
to  all  the  members  of  Congress,  Foreign  Ministers,  mili- 
tary and  naval  commanders,  and  to  the  principal  railroad 
men  and  leading  capitalists  throughout  the  country,  to 
join  in  a  grand  excursion  from  New  York  City  to  the  one- 
hundredth  meridian,  in  the  Great  Platte  Valley,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  seventeen  hundred  miles,  and  more  than 
half  way  across  the  continent. 

No  railroad  excursion  of  similar  character  and  magni- 
tude had  ever  been  projected  in  this,  or  any  other  coun- 
try ;  and  the  parties  most  interested  were,  of  course,  un- 
tiring in  their  efforts  to  make  it  a  complete  success. 

The  different  lines  of  connecting  railroads,  steamboats, 
and  stages  between  New  York  and  Omaha,  were  at  once 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Company  by  their  liberal 
and  enterprising  managers,  who  seemed  to  vie  with  each 
other  in  their  efforts  to  aid  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad 
Company  in  its  great  and  somewhat  novel  undertaking. 

Very  much  to  the  regret  of  the  excursionists,  as  well 
as  the  receptionists  along  the  route,  General  John  A. 
Dix,  the  President  of  the  Company,  was  prevented  from 
accompanying  the  party,  by  receiving  from  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  the  appointment  of  Minister 
to  France,  just  previous  to  its  departure  from  New  York. 
The  charge  of  the  excursion  therefore  devolved  upon 
Mr.  Thomas  C.  Durant,  Vice-President,  and  Messrs. 
Sherman,  Cook,  Dillon,  Lambard,  and  Duff,  Directors ; 
assisted  by  Mr.  B.  F.  Bunker,  Assistant  Secretary  of  the 

4 


74  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

Company,  Col.  N.  A.  Gestner  and  Mr.  E.  Simmonds,  from 
the  New  York  office. 


DEPARTURE   FROM   NEW  YORK. 

The  party,  consisting  of  about  one  hundred  persons, 
fully  supplied  with  everything  that  could  be  improvised 
or  thought  of  for  its  comfort  and  enjoyment,  left  New 
York  on  Monday  evening,  October  15th,  by  way  of  the 
New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania  Central  Eailroads,  to 
Pittsburgh;  and  the  Pittsburgh  Fort  Wayne  and  Chi- 
cago Eailroad  to  Chicago,  where  they  arrived  in  high 
spirits  on  the  following  Wednesday  evening. 

Considerable  accessions  of  invited  guests  were  made 
to  the  party  on  the  way  to,  and  at,  Chicago.  Messrs. 
Springer  Harbaugh,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  Jesse  L.  Wil- 
liams, of  Fort  Wayne,  Government  Directors  of  the  road, 
accompanied  the  excursion  to  Chicago  ;  but,  as  both 
these  gentlemen  had  just  returned  from  a  somewhat 
extended  inspection  of  the  road,  they  were  very  reluc- 
tantly excused  from  proceeding  farther  with  the  party. 

Several  of  the  excursionists  preferred  to  remain  a  day 
or  two  at  Chicago ;  and  then  proceed  over  the  Chicago 
and  Northwestern  Eailroad,  in  company  with  the  offi- 
cers of  that  Road,  to  Dennison ;  and  from  thence  to 
Omaha  by  stage.  But  by  far  the  largest  portion,  accom- 
panied by  the  Great  Western  Light  Guard  Band,  started 
from  Chicago  on  Thursday  morning,  October  18th,  by  way 
of  the  Chicago  Burlington  and  Quincy,  and  the  Hanni- 
bal and  Saint  Joseph  Eailroads,  and  arrived  at  St.  Joseph 
on  the  following  Friday  evening. 

Here  they  were  met  by  Mr.  H.  M.  Hoxie,  the  General 
Western  Agent  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad,  to  whose 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  75 

care  had  been  assigned  the  transportation  on  the  Mis- 
souri River,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  by 
river,  from  St.  Joseph  to  Omaha ;  and  also  the  subsistence 
of  the  entire  party  until  its  return  to  Saint  Joseph. 

Two  of  the  largest  class  Missouri  Eiver  packets — the 
Denver,  Captain  Waddell,  and  the  Colorado,  Captain 
Hooper — with  an  additional  band  of  music  on  board, 
were  in  readiness  to  receive  the  party  on  its  arrival  at 
Saint  Joseph ;  and  the  excursionists  soon  found  them- 
selves, with  bands  playing  and  colors  flying,  steaming  up 
the  great  Missouri  Eiver,  which,  for  many  hundred  miles 
of  its  turbid,  snaggy,  barry,  winding  course,  forms  the 
western  boundary  of  the  Atlantic  portion  of  the  United 
States. 

The  journey  from  Saint  Joseph  to  Omaha  was  accom- 
plished, without  serious  accident  or  detention,  in  less  than 
forty-eight  hours ;  and  the  party  reached  the  eastern 
terminus  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, the  22d  of  October,  having  been  on  the  way  from 
New  York  a  little  less  than  one  week. 

Some  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  the  excursionists 
were  subsisted  under  the  supervision  of  Professor  Hoxie, 
while  passing  up  the  Missouri  River,  may  be  formed  by  a 
perusal  of  the  following  bills  of  fare  on  board  the 
steamers : — 


76  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 


COMPLIMENTARY   EXCURSION 

TO  THE 

ief  ©umers  of  all  Kailroairs  in  tfoe  Eniteir  State©, 

ON  BOARD  THE  SPLENDID 

STEAMER  COLORADO. 


,  J>.  HOOPER,  Com.  \  O.  M.  SHOWN,  Clerk. 

It.  FORD)  General  Superintendent  Packet  Line. 

BILL     OF     FAEE. 

STEAMER    COLORADO,    October   20,    1866. 


Chicken  Gumbo.  Oyster. 


Baked  Pike,  Oyster  Sauce.  Boiled  Trout,  a-la  Normande. 

BOILED. 

Leg  of  Mutton,  Caper  Sauce.  Ham.  Tongue. 

Turkey,  Oyster  Sauce.  Corned  Beef  and  Cabbage. 

Chicken,  Egg  Sauce.  Beef,  a-la-mode. 

ROAST. 

Turkey,  Giblet  Sauce.  Saddle  Mutton.  Lamb,  Barbecued. 

Quails  on  Toast.  Spare-Rib  of  Pork.  Ribs  of  Beef. 

Sugar-Cured  Ham,  Champagne  Sauce. 

COLD  DISHES. 

Chicken  Salad,  Young  America  style.  Boned  Turkey,  with  Jelly. 

Lobster  Salad,  Boston  style.  Leg  of  Mutton,  Boiled. 

Fresh  Tongue,  in  Belvue.  Pressed  Corned  Beef. 

Anchovy  Salad.  Ham.  Roast  Beef.  Buffalo  Tongue. 


UNION  PACIFIC   RAILROAD. 


77 


Rabbit,  sauti,  a-la- Chasseur. 

Small  Patties,  a-la-Franc.aiso. 

Lamb  Chops,  a-la-Millionaire. 

Chicken  Livers,  fried  in  paper. 

Calf's  Head,  stuffed,  a-la-Royal. 

Fricas&ee  of  Chicken,  a-la-Rhine. 

Escaloped  Oysters,  Louisiana  style. 

Fillets  of  Beef,  larded,  a-la-Soubise. 

Rice  Croquettes,  garnished  with  Preserves. 

Fried  English  Cream,  flavored  with  Vanilla. 

Calf's  Brains,  fried  in  Batter. 

Veal  Cutlets,  breaded,  Sauce  Tortue. 

Baked  Pork  and  Beans,  Boston  style. 

Prairie  Chicken,  larded  Tomato  Sauce. 


ENTREES. 

Vel  au  Vent,  aux  hultres. 
Petis  Pates,  garnie  a-la-Bochamello. 
Croquettes  de  Volaille. 
Boudins,  a-la-Richelieu. 
Filet  de  Boeuf,  Sauce  Medere. 
Supremo  de  Volaille,  aux  Champignons. 
Canards  Braise,  aux  Oliaes. 
Fricandeau  de  Veau,  pica  aux  Epinards. 
Pigeons,  Braise,  a-la-Financiere. 
Baked  Salmon,  with  Cream. 
Turkey  Giblets,  a-la-Valenciene. 
Antelope  Steak,  Sherry  Wine  Sauce. 
Maccaroni,  with  Oparmesseur  Cheese. 
Fried  Oysters. 


Tenderloin  of  Venison,  brazed,  a-la-Italian. 


GAME. 

Antelope,  larded,  Sauce  Bigarade. 
Bear,  brazed,  Port  Wine  Sauce. 
Saddle  of  Venison,  Cranberry  Sauce. 
Mallard  Ducks — Teal  Ducks,  Malaga  Wine  Sauce. 


Grouse,  larded,  Madeira  Sauco 

Quails,  on  Toast. 

Wild  Turkey. 

Rabbit  Pot  Pie,  Boston  style. 


Oyster  Plant. 

Parsnips. 

Hominy. 


Tomato  Catsup. 
Beets.  Celery. 


VEGETABLES. 

Carrots.  Onions. 

Turnips.  Sour  Crout. 

Boiled  Rice.  Mashed  Potatoes. 

RELISHES. 

Worcestershire  Sauco. 
Olives. 


English  Plum  Pudding,  White  Sauce. 
Jelly  Cake.  Vanilla  Ice  Cream. 

Fruit  Cake,  ornamented. 
Pyramid  of  Macaroons. 
Cranberry  Tartlets.        Mince  Pio. 
Almond  Macaroons. 


Rum  Jelly. 
Champagne  Jelly. 
Chocolate  Cake. 
Princess  Pyramid. 
Cream  Pie. 
Cranberry  Tartlets. 


Boiled  Potatoes. 
Cabbage. 


Boston  Pickles. 
Cold  Slaw. 


Pound  Cake. 
Lady  Fingers. 
French  Kisses. 
Old  Castle. 
Apple  Pie. 
Swiss  Cottage. 


Oranges.    Pecans.    Almonds.     Raisins. 
Gatoau  Gonoise,  a-la-Jelee. 
Charlotte  Russe  au  Marasquin. 
English  Walnut.  Apples.  Figs. 


Merungues  aux  Peches. 
Bonbon,  a-la- Van  ilia. 
Bavarois  Glace,  aux  Amandes. 
Grapes.       Peaches.       Filberts. 


Pears. 


TEAJ     COFFEE    AND     CHOCOLATE. 


HOURS    FOR    MEALS: 

Breakfast 7  to  9     |     Dinner 1  to  3 

Tea G  o' cl ock. 


78  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

Union  Pacific  Railroad  Excursion — Road  open  from 
Omaha  to  one-hundredth  meridian. 

D1NNEE   BILL   OF   FARE. 


STEAMER   DENVER. 

Ooiober  £8,  1866. 


Puree  of  Rabbit,  a-la-Chantilly.  Rice  Soup,  a-la-Florentlne. 


Trout,  a-la- Victoria.  Pike,  a-la-Chevaliere. 

ROAOT. 

Beef.  Mutton.  Pork.  Pig.  Turkey.  Chicken.  Duck- 

Veal.  Grouse. 

BOILED. 

Leg  of  Mutton,  Caper  Sauce.  Turkey,  Oyster  Sauce.  Chicken,  Supreme  Sauce 

Tongue.  Duffield  Ham.  Corned  Beef  and  Cabbage. 

VEGETABLES  OF  THE  SEASON. 


Chicken,  a-la-Montmorenoi.  Chartreuse  of  Vegetables,  garnished  with 

Cushion  of  Veal,  a-la-St.  George.  Partridges. 

Timbal  of  Maccaroni,  a-la- Mazarine.  Border    of    Potato    Paste,    garnished   with 

Tourte  of  Ox,  Palates  a-la-Franoaise.  Calves  Brains  a-la-Bavigotte. 

Croustade  of  Bread,  garnished  with  Calves  Tails  a-la-Poulete. 


Saddle  of  Elk,  a-la-Bellevue.         Teal  Ducks,  a-la-Royal.  Snipes,  a-la-Essler. 

Pheasants,  a-la-Monclas.  Goose,  a-la-Anglaise. 

COLD  DISHES. 

Boar's  Head,  with  Aspie  Jelly.  Italliene  Salad. 

Gelatine  Turkey,  with  Aspie  Jelly.  Salina  of  Duck,  with  Aspie  Jelly. 


Celery.  Currant  Jelly.  Tomato  Catsup.          French  Mustard.  Horse  Radish. 

Walnut^Catsup.  Chow-Chow.  Cold  Slaw.  Pineapple  Cheese. 

Pickles  and  Olives.       Mushroom  Catsup.       Assorted  Sauces. 


UNION  PACIFIC  BATT/KOAD.  79 

PASTBY 


PUDDINGS. 

Cocoanut,  Cream  Sauce. 

PIES  AND  TARTS. 

Apple.       Peach.       Damson.       Blackberry.        Turnover  of  Apple.       Jelly  Tarts. 

CAKES. 
Pound.  Lady.  Fruit.  Sponge, 

CREAMS  AND  JELLIES. 

Maraschino  Bavarian  Cream.  Celestine  Strawberry  Cream, 

English  Cream,  with  Peaches.  Pineapple  Jelly. 

Oramge  Jelly,  a-la-Anglaise,  Macedoine  of  Fruits. 


Web  Meringue,  a-la-Parisiene.  Nouilles  Cake,  a-la-Allemande. 

Cream  Fouett,  a-la-Printanier .  Strawberries  and  Cream. 

Fruit  Meringues.  Cocoanut  Candy. 

ORNAMENTS.  ] 

Horn  of  Plenty.        Pyramid  of  Sponge  Candy.        Pyramid  of  Rock  Candy,  Gothic  style. 
Ornamented  Fruit  Cake,  with  Nougat  Vase, 

NUTS  AND  FRUITS. 

Grapes.  Granges.  Apples.  Pears.  Prunes.  Figs.  Raising. 

Almonds.  English  Walnuts,  Filberts.  Brazil. 

Peanuts.  Pecans.  Dates.  Pappas. 

COFFEE,    TEA    AND     CREAM. 


HOURS    FOR    MEALS: 

Breakfast 7  to  9     |     Dinner 1  to  3 

Tea 6  o'clock. 


WILLIAM  DWYER,  Steward. 


80  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 


FORMATION  OF  THE  ELKHORN  CLUB. 

That  portion  of  the  party  which  had  crossed  the  State 
of  Iowa  by  land,  including  Mr.  Perry  H.  Smith,  the 
Vice-President,  and  Mr.  George  L.  Dunlap,  the  General 
Superintendent  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern 
Eailroad,  Messrs.  Turner,  Ayer,  Bowen,  Crerer,  and  sev- 
eral others  from  Chicago,  with  the  most  important  addi- 
tion of  Professor  Kinsley,  the  justly  celebrated  caterist  of 
Chicago,  and  a  strong  detachment  of  his  assistants,  hav- 
ing re-joined  the  party  in  the  morning,  were  assigned  to 
quarters  on  the  Kailroad  Company's  steamer  Elkhorn, 
which  lay  at  the  landing  immediately  across  the  bows  of 
the  steamer  Denver. 

It  should  here  be  recorded  for  the  benefit  of  all  future 
historians,  as  well  as  the  "  rest  of  mankind,"  that,  on  this 
memorable  day,  and  upon  this  veritable  steamer  Elkhorn, 
the  famous,  and  never-to-be-forgotten  Elkhorn  Club  was 
duly  organized  and  established  upon  a  firm,  and  it  is  to 
be  hoped  an  enduring  basis. 

RECEPTION  AND  BALL  AT  OMAHA. 

The  authorities  of  Omaha  were  on  the  alert  at  an  early 
hour  for  the  purpose  of  welcoming  and  entertaining  the 
distinguished  party.  Governor  Saunders,  Secretary  Pad- 
dock, Mayor  Miller,  and  Vice-President  Patrick,  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  soon  made  their  appearance  upon  the 
steamers,  and  welcomed  the  excursionists  in  appropriate 
speeches,  tendering  them  the  freedom  of  the  City  and 
Territory ;  and  inviting  them  to  a  reception  ball  at  the 
Hernden  in  the  evening  ;  all  which  were  duly  responded 
to  and  accepted  by  Senator  Patterson,  Government 
Director  Sherman,  and  others  of  the  party. 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILKOAD.  81 

Carriages  were  in  waiting,  to  convey  such,  of  the  num- 
ber as  desired  to  leave  the  boats,  either  about  the  town, 
to  the  hotels,  or  to  the  residences  of  several  of  the  pri- 
vate families,  which  had  been  most  liberally  thrown  open 
for  the  occasion. 

The  excursionists,  with  their  insignia  of  ribbons  and 
rosettes,  were  soon  to  be  seen  in  all  parts  of  the  town, 
and  among  the  extensive  workshops  of  the  Eailroad 
Company,  evidently  delighted,  and  somewhat  astonished 
to  find  themselves,  after  a  week's  journeying  westward 
from  New  York,  still  among  people  of  wealth,  refinement, 
and  enterprise. 

The  ball  in  the  evening,  however,  was  perhaps  the 
greatest  surprise.  The  presence  of  General  Phil- 
lip St.  George  Cooke,  commanding  the  Department, 
with  his  staff;  Governor  Saunders,  Chief -Justice  Kel- 
logg, Secretary  Paddock,  Senators  Thayer  and  Tipton, 
all  of  Nebraska ;  together  with  the  city  authorities,  and 
the  wealthy,  enterprising,  business  and  professional  men 
of  Omaha,  with  their  families,  all  conduced  to  make  it  an 
entertainment  which  would  have  done  credit  to  any  gather- 
ing of  a  similar  character  in  Chicago,  Washington,  or 
New  York. 

The  dance,  alternating  with  the  promenade,  and  a 
judicious  sprinkling  of  excellent  and  substantial  refresh- 
ments, occupied  the  time  most  pleasantly  till  the  small 
morning  hours,  when  all  separated  in  the  best  of  spirits, 
ready  for  the  new  and  exciting  scenes  which  were  to  open 
upon  them  on  the  morrow. 

Here  we  will  leave  them  for  the  present,  and  be  pre- 
pared to  accompany  them  many  hundred  miles  farther 
westward,  towards  the  never-setting  Star  of  Empire. 

4* 


82  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 


VIII. 

MORNING    AFTER   THE    BALL THE    EXCURSION   TRAIN — ALL    Otf    BOARD 

•     ITS     PROGRESS     WESTWARD — THE     GREAT     PLATTE      VALLEY — 

STATIONS    ON   THE    ROAD — ARRIVAL   AT    COLUMBUS CAMPING    OUT 

ON     THE    PLAINS INDIAN     WAR-DANCE MORNING     SERENADE — 

TOWN     OF    COLUMBUS SHAM     INDIAN   FIGHT PRESENTS   TO   THE 

INDIANS — CONTRAST     BETWEEN     CIVILIZED     AND    SAVAGE   LIFE — 

TRAIN    STILL   GOING   WESTWARD WAY-STATIONS    ON   THE   ROAD — 

ARRIVAL     AT     CAMP     NO.     2 MILITARY    ENCAMPMENT ANOTHER 

NIGHT  IN  CAMP MORNING  EXERCISES DEPARTURE    OF   THE    ELK- 
HORNS MORNING     NEWSPAPER LIST     OF     EXCURSIONISTS — END 

OF   TRACK    FOUND   AT   LAST BUFFALO    AND    ANTELOPE   HUNTERS 

DINNER   IN  CAMP FIRE-WORKS  ON   THE    PLAINS THIRD  NIGHT 

IN     CAMP HOMEWARD     BOUND — ONE     HUNDREDTH    MERIDIAN 

PRAIRIE-DOG   CITY FIRE    ON   THE   PLAINS — RETURN   TO    OMAHA — 

DEPARTURE    OF   EXCURSIONISTS    EASTWARD ELKHORN    CHEERS  TO 

MR.    DURANT THEIR    SAFE    ARRIVAL    HOME. 

OMAHA,  NEBRASKA,  Nov.  5,  1866. 
MORNING-   AFTER   THE  BALL. 

The  elegant  entertainment  given  by  the  citizens  of  Ne- 
braska and  Omaha  to  the  excursionists  the  previous 
evening,  did  not  prevent  them  from  being  astir  at  a 
reasonably  early  hour  on  Tuesday  morning,  October  23. 
Nearly  all  the  gentlemen  interested  or  curious  in  such 
matters,  visited  the  extensive  depots  and  machine  shops 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  expressed  their 
astonishment  and  delight  at  the  magnitude  and  adaptation 
of  the  works,  the  construction  of  which  had  only  been 
commenced  within  a  year  from  the  present  time. 


UNION  PACIFIC   RAILROAD.  83 

It  was  a  source  of  very  general  regret,  that  Mr.  Samuel 
B.  Reed,  the  efficient  General  Superintendent  of  the 
Road,  and  Engineer  in  Charge  of  Construction,  was 
prevented,  by  severe  illness,  from  showing  any  attention 
to  the  excursionists  at  Omaha,  and  also  from  accompa- 
nying them  over  the  road.  His  place,  however,  was 
admirably  filled  by  Mr.  Webster  Snyder,  his  principal 
assistant,  aided  by  Mr.  G.  W.  Frost,  Major  L.  S.  Bent, 
General  Casement,  Mr.  A.  A.  Bean,  Mr.  Congdon,  Mr. 
Gambol,  and  the  other  heads  of  departments. 

The  Chief  Engineer,  Gen.  G.  M.  Dodge,  who  had  re- 
turned from  the  mountains  during  the  previous  week, 
rendered  every  assistance  in  his  power  ;  and  the  Consult- 
ing Engineer,  by  his  timely  presence,  was  enabled  to 
relieve  the  others  from  much,  if  not  all  the  heavy  standing 
around. 

THE  EXCURSION  TRAIN. 

The  excursion  train  consisted  of  nine  cars  drawn  by 
two  of  the  Company's  powerful  locomotives.  The  mag- 
nificent Directors'  car,  constructed  by  the  Pittsburgh, 
Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago  Railroad  Company  for  this 
road,  was  placed  in  the  rear,  and  devoted  to  members  of 
Congress,  and  other  distinguished  guests,  who  felt  desir- 
ous of  making  a  critical  examination  of  the  road  and 
adjacent  country,  which  they  now  visited  for  the  first,  and 
possibly  the  last  time. 

The  next  car  forward,  was  the  celebrated  Government, 
or  Lincoln  car,  the  private  property  of  Mr.  Durant,  and 
was  therefore  devoted  principally  to  his  own  personal 
friends  and  their  families. 

In  front  of  this,  were  four  fine  passenger  coaches,  put 
up  at  the  Company's  car-shops  at  Omaha.  These  were 


84  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

devoted  to  the  excursionists  generally.  One  of  which, 
however,  was  occupied  almost  exclusively  by  the  Elkhorn 
Club. 

Next  in  order,  came  the  mess,  or  cooking  car,  con- 
structed also  at  the  Fort  Wayne  shops,  and  designed 
as  a  tender,  or  companion  to  the  Directors'  car.  In  front 
of  this  was  a  mail,  or  express  car,  conveniently  fitted  up 
as  a  refreshment  saloon.  And  in  front  of  all,  or  next  to 
the  engine,  was  the  baggage  and  supply  car.  The  en- 
gines were  profusely  decked  with  flags,  and  appropriate 
mottoes  ;  and  the  whole  outfit  presented  a  most  imposing 
appearance,  as  it  left  the  Missouri  Valley,  and  steamed 
away  towards  the  Bocky  Mountains. 

ALL  ON  BOARD. 

It  had  been  announced  by  Mr.  Durant  that  the  excur- 
sion train  would  start  westward  at  ten  in  the  morning. 
But  the  difficulty  and  delay  attending  the  gathering 
together  of  the  excursionists,  prevented  our  departure 
till  about  twelve,  when  the  entire  party,  enlarged  by  the 
civil  and  military  authorities,  members  of  Congress,  etc., 
of  the  Territory,  with  their  families,  started  westward  in 
high  spirits,  to  view,  most  of  them  for  the  first  time, 
the  great,  and  almost  uninhabited  Platte  Valley,  extend- 
ing, as  it  does,  in  an  almost  direct  westerly  course  from  the 
Missouri  Biver  to  the  Eocky  Mountains,  a  distance  of  six 
hundred  miles. 

The  train  had  been  supplied  by  Mr.  Hoxie  with  every 
comfort  and  even  luxury  that  the  heart  could  wish ;  and 
soon  after  starting,  the  guests  were  invited  to  partake  of 
an  excellent  lunch,  served  through  the  cars  by  the  atten- 
tive waiters. 


UNION  PACIFIC  KAILKOAD.  85 

THE  GREAT  PLATTE  VALLEY. 

The  fine  valleys  of  Mud  Creek,  and  the  Papillon,  were 
passed  successively,  and  at  about  two  P.  M.,  the  Great 
Platte  Valley  opened  to  the  view,  and  elicited  an  excla- 
mation of  wonder  and  admiration  from  all  who  now  saw 
it  for  the  first  time. 

The  train — which  had  been  ordered  by  Mr.  Durant  to 
proceed  at  a  slow  rate  of  speed,  so  that  the  excursionists 
could  obtain  a  satisfactory  view,  not  only  of  the  surround- 
ing beautiful  country,  but  of  the  road  and  structures,  as 
they  passed — after  halting  at  the  fine  bridge  structures 
over  the  Papillon  and  Elkhorn  Eivers,  stopped  a  short 
time  at  the  Fremont  and  North  Bend  stations,  in  order  to 
give  the  guests  an  opportunity  of  examining  the  commo- 
dious depot  buildings,  water  stations,  etc.,  which  had  been 
constructed  by  the  Company  at  intervals  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  along  the  line. 

ARRIVAL  AT  COLUMBUS. 

The  train  finally  reached  Columbus,  the  proposed  end 
of  the  first  day's  journey,  a  little  after  night-fall,  and 
here  a  new  surprise  awaited  the  party. 

The  train  was  halted  immediately  in  front  of  a  bril- 
liantly illuminated  encampment,  which  covered  several 
acres  of  beautiful  ground  situated  a  few  rods  northward 
of  the  Columbus  station  buildings,  and  so  arranged  as  to 
afford  comfortable  accommodations  for  all  who  wished  to 
leave  the  cars  and  enjoy  the  novelty  of  a  night's  sleep  in 
camp. 

Soon  after  our  arrival,  supper  was  announced  by  the 
ubiquitous  Hoxie,  and  the  party  found  themselves  com- 
fortably seated  in  a  large  tent,  and  urged  to  partake  of 


86  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 


substantiate  and  luxuries,  which  might  well    have  vied 
with  those  found  upon  the  tables  of  our  Eastern  hotels. 

The  irrepressible  Elkhorns  were  seen  and  heard  every- 
where, adding  life  and  exhilaration  to  the  scene ;  and 
thus  an  hour  or  two  were  passed  in  social  intercourse 
until  the  evening's  entertainment  was  announced. 

INDIAN  WAR-DANCE. 

This  entertainment  consisted  of  a  war-dance,  at  a 
short  distance  from  the  encampment,  executed  by  a  large 
delegation  of  Pawnee  braves,  under  the  immediate  super- 
vision of  that  celebrated  Indianist,  Professor  Taylor,  who 
had  most  kindly  volunteered  his  valuable  services  for  the 
occasion ;  and  of  all  the  wild  and  hideous  yells,  grotesque 
shapes  and  contortions  that  have  ever  been  witnessed  by 
a  civilized  assemblage  in  the  night-time  upon  the  plains 
this  was  most  certainly  the  climax.  The  light  of  the 
moon,  aided  slightly  by  that  of  a  dim  camp  fire,  was 
barely  sufficient  to  enable  the  spectators  to  distinguish 
the  features  and  grotesque  costumes  of  the  savage  per- 
formers ;  and  the  congregation  of  lady  and  gentlemen 
spectators  were  only  too  glad  to  know  that  the  Indians 
were  entirely  friendly,  and  catering  only  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  company,  instead  of  being  enemies,  dancing 
and  gloating  over  their  scalpless  bodies.  This  amuse- 
ment being  ended,  the  waning  moon  and  camp  fires 
admonished  the  excursionists  that  the  hour  for  retire- 
ment and  rest  had  arrived. 

Each  individual,  family,  and  party,  found  comfortable 
tents  allotted  to  them,  well  stored  with  soft  hay  mattres- 
ses, buffalo  robes,  and  blankets.  Without  the  least  dis- 
order or  confusion,  therefore,  all  were  soon  dreaming  of 
the  wondrous  novelty  of  the  situation  ;  and  nothing  but 


UNION  PACIFIC  EAILROAD.  87 

the  howling  of  the  distant  wolf,  or  the  subdued  mutter- 
ings  from  the  Indian  camp,  broke  the  stillness  of  this 
first  night  on  the  plains. 

A    MORNING-    SERENADE. 

Before  daylight,  however,  the  more  timid  of  the  party 
were  startled  from  their  slumbers  by  the  most  unearthly 
whoops  and  yells  of  the  Indians,  who  were  tramping 
about  among  the  camp  fires  in  front  of  the  tents ;  and 
many  disordered  heads,  with  anxious  and  inquiring  coun- 
tenances, were  to  be  seen  protruding  through  the  aper- 
tures of  the  tents,  to  ascertain  whether  they  were  to  be 
immediately  roasted  alive,  or  allowed  a  short  time  in 
which  to  say  their  prayers,  and  write  a  few  parting  words 
to  their  distant  friends. 

All  was  soon  explained  however,  when  it  became  known 
that  Mr.  Durant  himself,  assisted  by  General  Dodge, 
Secretary  Paddock,  and  a  partially  standing,  but  more 
generally  reclining  committee  of  Elkhorns,  had  these 
wild  denizens  of  the  plains,  under  the  most  complete  con- 
trol ;  and  were  only  making  them  dance  and  perform  this 
most  unique  and  savage  morning  serenade  for  their  own 
particular  amusement. 

Quiet  was  therefore  soon  restored,  and,  after  a  re- 
freshing morning  nap,  the  party  was  invited  to  par- 
take of  a  sumptuous  breakfast  before  again  starting 
westward. 

THE   TOWN  OF    COLUMBUS. 

This  goodly  town  of  Columbus  should,  however,  have 
more  than  a  passing  notice. 

It  is  situated  near  the  confluence  of  the  Loup  Fork 
River  with  the  Platte,  and  is  surrounded  by  one  of  the 
finest  agricultural  countries  in  the  world.  Being  near 


88  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

the  centre  of  the  Territory,  it  bids  fair  soon  to  become  the 
Capital  of  this  embryo  State.  The  large  and  valuable 
Pawnee  reservation  is  situated  only  a  few  miles  from 
the  town,  in  the  Valley  of  Loup  Fork. 

The  Credit-Fonder  of  America  has  invested  largely 
in  town  and  suburban  property,  and  promises,  through 
its  far-seeing  and  enterprising  managers,  to  add  much 
to  its  future  growth  and  prosperity. 

The  tents  were  soon  struck,  and  the  pioneer  train  was 
to  be  seen  steaming  far  away  in  the  distance ;  after 
which,  our  excursionists  leisurely  resumed  their  places  in 
the  cars,  ready  for  new  surprises  and  adventures. 

Many  of  them  little  dreamed,  however,  that  one,  most 
rare  and  novel  in  its  character,  was  so  soon  to  be  realized. 

SHAM   INDIAN   FIGHT. 

The  train  halted  upon  a  high  embankment,  in  front  of 
the  Indian  encampment,  near  the  east  end  of  the  beauti- 
ful bridge  which  spans  the  Loup-Fork  river. 

The  Indians,  fully  dressed  and  adorned  in  the  war 
costume  of  the  Pawnees,  were  in  council,  many  of  them 
evidently  in  a  high  state  of  excitement,  gesticulating, 
whooping  and  yelling,  in  the  most  frantic  and  unearthly 
manner.  Twenty  or  thirty  horses  stood  near,  ready  to 
be  mounted. 

Soon  a  band  of  about  thirty  mounted  Sioux  warriors 
were  to  be  seen  emerging  stealthily  from  a  thicket,  some 
distance  down  the  river,  and  making  their  way  cautiously 
in  a  circuit,  as  if  to  surround  the  Pawnee  camp. 

Our  Pawnees  were  instantly  mounted,  and  following 
their  stalwart  chief,  with  shrieks  and  cries  of  vengeancfe, 
to  the  attack.  The  shock  of  meeting  was  grand  and  ter- 
rific. Horses  reared  and  plunged  against  each  other. 
Indian  grappled  Indian,  and  both  fell  to  the  ground  in 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  89 

deadly  embrace.  Rifles,  revolvers  and  arrows  were  dis- 
charged apparently  with  deadly  effect.  Riderless  horses, 
and  horseless  riders  were  to  be  seen  roaming  wildly  over 
the  plain.  And  all  was  confusion  and  intense  excitement, 
until  at  length  the  victorious  Pawnees  brought  their  van- 
quished enemies  into  camp,  amid  the  most  tempestuous 
shouts  of  triumph  and  exultation. 

All  this  had  been  but  a  sham  Indian  fight,  between  a 
party  of  Pawnee  warriors,  dressed  in  the  costume  of  the 
Sioux,  and  an  equal  number  of  their  own  tribe.  What 
then  must  be  the  terrible  reality,  when  these  ever  hostile 
tribes  meet,  as  they  often  do,  in  deadly  conflict  ? 

After  the  battle  had  ended,  Mr.  Durant  distributed 
several  hundred  dollars' worth  of  presents  among  the 
Indians  and  their  squaws.  And  it  was  most  amusing  to 
see  these  greedy  savages  exercise  all  the  arts  and 
indianuity  of  which  the  most  civilized  mind  is  capable, 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  more  than  their  just  and 
proper  share  of  the  spoils.  The  squaws,  too,  were  most 
curious  in  their  observation  of  the  peculiar  construction 
of  the  hoop-skirts  and  elegant  balmorals  worn  by  our 
lady  excursionists ;  and  also  tried  by  every  means  in 
their  power  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  these  kind-hearted 
ladies  in  behalf  of  the  young  papooses  hanging  upon 
their  backs. 

Perhaps  no  better  illustration  could  have  been  given  of 
the  extremes  of  civilized  and  savage  life,  standing  face  to 
face  with  each  other,  than  the  one  now*  before  us.  On 
the  one  side  was  the  track  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad, 
upon  which  stood  that  great  civilizer,  the  locomotive  and 
train,  looking  westward  over  the*  Loup-Fork  bridge, 
fifteen  hundred  feet  in  length ;  and  in  the  foreground 
stood  the  group  of  excursionists,  composed  of  beauty, 
intelligence  and  refinement ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 


90  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

were  grouped  these  uncouth,  savages,  many  of  them 
almost  in  their  normal  state,  except  for  the  profuse  dis- 
play of  feathers  and  trinkets  which  bedecked  their  per- 
sons ;  low  and  brutal  in  their  habits,  and  mentally  elevated 
but  slightly,  if  at  all,  above  the  level  of  the  beasts  that 
inhabit  this  vast  and  beautiful  country  with  them. 

But  the  laws  of  civilization  are  such  that  it  must  press 
forward ;  and  it  is  in  vain  that  these  poor  ignorant 
creatures  attempt  to  stay  its  progress  by  resisting  inch 
by  inch,  and  foot  by  foot,  its  onward  march  over  these 
lovely  plains,  where  but  a  few  years  since,  they  were 
"monarchs  of  all  they  surveyed." 

The  locomotive  must  go  onward  until  it  reaches  the 
Eocky  Mountains,  the  Laramie  Plains,  the  great  Salt 
Lake,  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Lateral 
roads  must  also  be  built,  extending  in  all  directions  from 
the  main  line,  as  veins  from  an  artery,  and  penetrating 
the  hunting-grounds  of  these  worse  than  useless  Indian 
tribes,  until  they  are  either  driven  from  the  face  of  the 
earth  ;  or  forced  to  look  for  safety  in  the  adoption  of  that 
very  civilization  and  humanity,  which  they  now  so 
savagely  ignore  and  despise. 

THE    TRAIN    AG-AIN    STARTS    WESTWARD. 

When  this  most  interesting  exhibition  of  savage  life 
and  customs  was  ended,  the  excursion  train  started  again 
on  its  westwardaeourse,  passing  successively  the  embryo 
towns  of  Silver-Creek,  Lone-Tree,  Grand-Island,  Wood- 
Eiver,  Kearny,  Elm-Creek,  Plum-Creek,  and  Willow- 
Island.  Soon  after  which,  and  at  about  eight  p.  M.,  it 
arrived  at  the  termination  of  the  second  day's  journey,  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-nine  miles  west  of 
Omaha. 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  91 


ARRIVAL   AT   CAMP  No.  2. 

Here,  as  at  Columbus,  on  the  previous  evening,  a  large 
and  brilliantly  illuminated  encampment  had  been  pre- 
pared for  the  reception  of  the  guests. 

A  military  encampment  had  also  been  established 
during  the  previous  day  by  Colonel  Mizner,  in  command 
of  Fort  McPherson  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Platte,  so 
near  the  excursionists'  camp  as  to  preclude  any  fear 
from  the  roaming  bands  of  Indians,  which  were  said  to 
infest  this  portion  of  the  country. 

Comfortable  quarters  were  immediately  assigned  to 
each  one  of  the  party,  and  very  soon  thereafter  an 
elegant  supper  was  announced,  and  partaken  of  with  a 
gusto,  known  only  to  a  party  whose  only  sustenance  for 
hours  had  been  the  pure  bracing  air  of  the  illimitable 
plains. 

When  the  excursion  party  left  New  York,  it  was  under- 
stood that  it  would  overtake  the  westerly  end  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Eailroad  track,  at  or  about  the  one  hundredth 
meridian  of  longitude,  some  two  hundred  and  forty- 
seven  miles  west  of  Omaha ;  and  that  then  and  there  the 
great  celebration  would  come  off,  as  per  invitation  and 
programme.  But  here  we  now  were,  more  than  thirty 
miles  west  of  the  one  hundredth  meridian,  aid  no  end  of 
track  yet  visible.  Nothing  remained  for  the  excursionists, 
therefore,  but  to  take  another  night's  rest,  and  endeavor 
by  an  early  start  on  the  following  morning,  to  overtake 
this  long-sought-for  goal,  which  to  many  of  the  party 
seemed  only  a  myth,  or  most  perplexing  illusion. 

The  spacious  headquarters  tents,  which  had  been  hung 
about  with  transparencies,  and  elegantly  decorated  with 
flags  for  the  occasion,  were  therefore  soon  (bereft  of  their 
occupants,  who  had  sought  the  greater  retiracy  of  the 


92  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

more  private  quarters  assigned  to  them ;  and  after  the 
establishment  of  a  telegraph,  and  printing  office,  by 
means  of  which  to  communicate  with  the  outer  world,  the 
encampment  soon  became  as  still  as  solitude  itself,  except 
the  measured  tramp  of  the  guard  or  distant  sentinel, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  see  that  we  were  not  molested  either 
by  friends  within  or  foes  from  without. 

MORNING-  EXERCISES. 

On  the  following  morning  the  camp  showed  signs  of 
early  life.  Individuals  and  parties  were  to  be  seen  look- 
ing about  for  the  means  of  ablution  and  renovation. 

The  famous  Elkhorn  Club  formed  in  line  in  front  of 
their  quarters,  with  President  Dunlap  and  Vice-Pres- 
ident Smith  at  its  head,  and  followed  in  proper  order  by 
its  professional  speechists,  singists,  cheerists,  punists, 
jokeists,  eatists,  drinkists,  etc.,  etc.,  marched  in  a  body 
to  the  banks  of  the  Platte  Biver,  where  each  member 
underwent  the  pleasant  operation  of  a  wholesome  outward 
application  of  an  element  to  which  the  inner  man  had, 
from  the  force  of  circumstances,  become  a  comparative 
stranger  during  the  few  preceding  days. 

After  a  hearty  breakfast,  the  inquiry  became  quite  gen- 
eral as  to  the  programme  of  operations  for  the  day.  A 
bulletin  board  was  therefore  placed  in  front  of  head- 
quarters, upon  which  the  following  printed  announce- 
ments and  orders  were  soon  posted  for  general  informa- 
tion : — 

CAMP  No.  2,  U.  P.  R.  R.,  BUFFALO  Co.,  NEB.,         > 
Thursday,  October  25,  1866.  j 

SPECIAL   NOTICE. 

"  Colonel  N.  A.  Geetner  is  announced  as  Officer-of-the-Day.  Office 
at  headquarters  tent. 

Chiefs  of  all  working  and  fatigue  parties  will  immediately  report  to 
him  for  orders." 

By  Order. 


UNION  PACIFIC  HAILKOAD.  93 


CITY   ORGANIZATION. 

"  A  meeting  of  citizens  will  be  held  this  day  at  the  Music  Stand  in 
the  Public  Square,  at  9  A.  M.,  for  the  purpose  of  locating  a  city,  the 
election  of  a  Mayor,  City  Council,  and  the  transaction  of  such  other 
business  as  may  be  presented. 

"  Let  there  be  a  full  attendance." 

By  Order. 

TO  THE  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE  PRESS. 

"  The  Representatives  of  the  Press  are  requested  to  meet  at  the 
Press  headquarters  (left  wing  of  the  dining  hall),  at  10  o'clock  this 
morning." 

"  AN  EXCURSION  TRAIN  will  leave  for  the  End  of  the  Track,  at 
11  A.  M." 

THE  BUFFALO  HUNT. 

"  Gentlemen  wishing  to  go  on  a  buffalo  or  antelope  hunt  will  please 
report  to  Captain  Hollins,  at  headquarters.  Captain  H.,  with  an  ex- 
perienced hunter,  will  accompany  the  party.  Buffalo  are  said  to  be 
in  abundance  on  the  Republican,  and  antelope  nearer  camp.  The 
party  will  be  absent  about  four  days.  Horses  and  ponies  will  be 
provided." 

DEPARTURE  OF  THE  EL.KHORNS. 

Very  much  to  the  disappointment  and  regret  of  all 
parties,  a  large  number  of  the  officers,  professors,  and 
leading  spirits  of  the  Elkhorn  Club  were  obliged  to  leave 
soon  after  breakfast,  in  a  special  train  for  the  east.  Pro- 
fessor Ayer,  the  goutist  of  the  Club,  remained  however, 
and  added  very  much  to  the  hilarity  of  the  party  by 
riding  about  in  an  old  one-horse  wagon,  driven  by  Major 
Bent ;  this  method  of  locomotion  being  rendered  neces- 
sary, as  he  remarked,  by  the  unmanageableness  of  his 
stuttering  feet. 

The  following  dispatch  was  received  from  the  Elkhorn 

party  during  the  day : — 

"  KEARNY,  October  25, 1866. 
"  DR.  T.  C.  DURANT— 

"  Our  eyes  are  filled  with  unaccustomed  tears  ;  and  our  hearts  are 
bowed  with  grief.  The  Elkhorns  mourn  for  their  Fawns. 

"  ELKHORNS." 


94  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

The  following  reply  was  immediately  sent : — 

TO   THE  DEPABTED  ELKHOKNS. 

"  The  better  half  of  all  our  joys 
Departed  with  the  Elkhorn  boys  ; 
To  their  memory  we'll  light  the  lamp, 
And  dance  around  our  prairie  camp. 

"  FAWNS." 

LIST    OF    EXCURSIONISTS. 

The  first  number  of  the  Railway  Pioneer  was  issued 
from  the  press  during  the  morn  ing,  and  contained, 
among  a  large  variety  of  interesting  and  amusing  matter, 
the  following : 

LIST  OF  NAMES  OF  THE  EXCURSION  PARTY— GUESTS  OF  THE  U.  P.  R.  R 

EXCURSION  CAMP,   October  25,  1866. 

DIRECTORS  AND  OFFICERS  OF  THE  TT.    P.    R.    R.    COMPANY. 


Thomas  C.  Durant,  New  York,  Vice-President, 

E.  Cook,  Iowa, 

Sidney  Dillon,  New  York, 


Directors. 


C.  A.  Lambard,  Massachusetts, 
John  Duff,  Massachusetts, 

Hon.  C.  T.  Sherman,  Ohio,  Government  Director. 
General  J.  H.  Simpson,  Washington,  \ 

General  S.  R.  Curtis,  Iowa,  v    Government  Commissioners. 

Hon.  W.  M.  White,  Connecticut.          ) 
Gen.  G.  M.  Dodge,  Iowa,  Chief  Engineer. 
Col.  Silas  Seymour,  New  York,  Consulting  Engineer. 
W.  Snyder,  Assistant  Superintendent  and  General  Freight  and  Ticket 
Agent. 

Attaches : 

H.  M.  Hoxie,  in  charge  of  steamboats. 

B.  F.  Bunker,  N.  A.  Gestner,  in  charge  of  special  train. 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILROAD. 


95 


G.  W.  Frost,  Purchasing  Agent. 

Maj.  L.  S.  Bent,  Burnetizer. 

General  and  Daniel  Casement,  in  charge  of  track. 

J.  Carbutt,  Photographer ;  Mr.  Hien,  Assistant  Photographer. 

Great  Western  Light  Guard  Band  of  Chicago— A.  J.  Vaas,  Leader. 

Bosenblatt's  Band  of  St.  Joseph— H.  Rosenblatt,  Leader. 


INVITED  GUESTS. 


Hon.  B.  F.  Wade,  U.  S.  Senator. 

Hon.  J.  W.  Patterson,  U.  S.  Sen- 
ator. 

Hon.  M.  Welker. 

Hon.  W.  Lawrence. 

Hon.  J.  B.  Alley  and  wife. 

Miss  Emma  Alley. 

Hon.  B.  B.  Buckland. 

Hon.  I.  T.  Eogers. 

Hon.  B.  B.  Hays. 

Hon.  B.  M.  Boyer  and  wife. 

Hon.  S.  E.  Ancona. 

Hon.  J.  H.  Farquar  and  wife. 

LeGrand  Lockwood. 

Henry  B.  Lockwood. 

Earl  of  Arlie,  England. 

M.  O'Dillon  Barrot,  Secretary 
French  Legation. 

Marquis  Chambrun. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  T.  McCobb. 

Miss  A.  M.  Williams. 

Horace  Williams. 

Wm.  Leighton. 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Simpson. 

Miss  Minnie  Simpson. 

Miss  Graff. 

J.  T.  Tuttle,  M  J). 

J.  E.  Sherman. 

Miss  M.  H.  Sherman. 

Eev.  Dr.  G.  F.  Wiswell  and  wife. 

B.  D.  Stewart. 

Miss  H.  E.  Stewart 

J.  E.  Duff. 


Miss  Duff. 

Miss  Hall. 

Eev.  I.  H.  Tuttle,  D.D.,  and  wife. 

Col.  E.  D.  Taylor. 

Miss  Kate  Offley. 

S.  J.  Jones,  Surgeon,  U.  S.  N. 

Gen.  J.  H.  Bates. 

Hon.  Augustus  Schell. 

Eev.  W.  E.  Brown. 

John  Crerar. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Francis  Train 

and  maid. 

Mrs.  George  T.  M.  Davis. 
Miss  Sallie  Clark. 
Mrs.  J.  S.  Polhemus. 
Miss  M.  S.  Dodge. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Bailhache. 
Hon.  Thomas  F.  Plunkett. 
Hon.  G.  B.  Senter. 
G.  A.  Benedict. 
Col.  Thomas  Dimmick. 
Ezra  H.  Baker. 
MissE.H.  Baker. 
Miss  Bugbee. 
Dr.  F.  Plummer. 
Isaac  S.  Waterman. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  H.  Connelly. 
H.  M.  Smith. 
Col.  William  Osborn. 
Mrs.  E.  A.  Park. 
Mrs.  A.  P.  Clark. 
Capt.  St.  Albe. 
S.  E.  Wells. 


WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 


H.  M.  Kinsley. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  S.  L.  Sprague. 

J.  A.  Gilden. 

E.  T.  Watkins. 
Wm.  Hilton. 
Joseph  MedilL 

Col.  A.  W.  Johnson. 
John  Potts. 
J.  H.  Bowen. 

B.  M.  McHenry. 
T.  W.  Fabens. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Painter. 

C.  F.  Atkinson. 
Josiah  Hastings. 

F.  H.  Hall. 
O.B.  Hazeltine. 
B.  P.  Hazeltine. 
Perry  H.  Smith,  Jr. 
Col.  B.  H.  Jenks. 

Dr.  H.  B.  VanDeventer. 
E.  D.  Hicks. 

E.  Eeily. 

W.  G.  Mendenhall. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  W.  Kilbourne. 

George  E.  Kilbourne. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  Harris. 

Ira  P.  Bowen. 

F.  S.  Lathrop. 

A.  N.  Allen,  M.D. 
F.  W.  Hinsdale. 
Mrs.  S.  Seymour. 
J.  M.  Seymour. 
Franklin  C.  White. 
Thomas  H.  CuthelL 
S.  P.  Holmes. 
Luther  Kountze. 
J.  W.  Miller. 
William  L.  Woods. 
Major  Hennings. 
Mr.  Winter. 
Capt.  John  B.  Turner. 
W.  H.  Ferry. 
Perry  H.  Smith. 


George  L.  Dunlap. 

E.  B.  Talcott. 

Col.  J.  H.  Howe. 

John  C.  Gault. 

Isaac  B.  Howe. 

John  V.  Ayer. 

George  M.  Pullman. 

Hiram  Wheeler. 

Charles  H.  Hapgood. 

Eobert  T.  Lincoln. 

Norman  Williams. 

John  M.  Eountree. 

Hon.  H.  B.  Curtis. 

Henry  L.  Curtis. 

Dr.  J.  M.  Buckingham. 

Charles  T.  Sherman,  Jr. 

Dr.  E.  D.  Hicks. 

S.  Lathrop. 

Miss  Hattie  V.  Lathrop. 

A.  Winton. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  W.  Balch. 

C.  F.  Atkinson. 

Eev.  W.  E.  Brown. 

T.  E.  Montgomery. 

L.  L.  Harman. 

George  E.  Smith,  P.  M. ,  Omaha. 

Gen.  G.  M.  O'Brien  and  lady. 

Dr.  Alexander,  Medical  Director. 

St.  A.  D.  Balcombe  and  lady. 

Major  Bird. 

George  L.  Miller. 

E.  B.  Taylor. 

F.  M.  McDonough, 
Judge  C.  Baldwin. 

H.  C.  Nutt,  Esq.,  and  lady. 

Mrs.  Gen.  Dodge  and  daughter. 

Miss  Julia  M.  Dodge. 

Mrs.  H.  M.  Hoxie. 

Mrs.  G.  W.  Frost. 

Miss  C.  M.  Frost, 

Miss  A.  J,  Shaw. 

Mrs.  D.  T.  Casement. 

John  Jones. 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD;  97 

Hon.  A.  Saunders,  Governor  of  Nebraska. 

Hon.  J.  M.  Thayer  and  lady,  and  Hon.  T.  W.  Tipton,  U.  S.  Senators 

elect. 

Hon.  William  Kellogg,  Chief  Justice  of  Nebraska. 
Major-General  Phillip  St.  George  Cooke  (commanding  Department  of 

the  Platte)  and  Staff. 

Hon.  A.  S.  Paddock,  and  lady,  Secretary  of  Nebraska. 
Major  Gushing,  Chief  Commissary  of  the  Platte. 
Col.  J.  K.  Mizner,  (Fort  McPherson),  lady  and  sister. 
Lieut.  Yates,  Second  Cavalry,  United  States  Army. 
Lieut.  A.  S.  Adams,  Second  Cavalry,  U.  S.  A. 
C.  L.  Jenkins,  in  charge  Railway  Pioneer  Printing  Establishment. 
J.  Shepherd,  Superintendent  United  States  Express  Company. 
"  Giles,"  Editor  Bugle,  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 
W.  F.  Burke,  Editor  Nonpareil,  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 

The  following  account  of  a  public  meeting  held  in  the 
hollow  square,  in  the  centre  of  the  encampment,  is  also 
taken  from  the  Railway  Pioneer : — 

PUBLIC  MEETING. 

"  A  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  square  this  A.  M.,  pur- 
suant to  notice.  Hon.  Alvin  Saunders,  of  Nebraska,  was  called 
to  the  chair,  and  appointed  secretary. 

"  Brief  and  appropriate  addresses  were  made  by  Senators 
Wade  of  Ohio,  Patterson  of  New  Hampshire,  Tipton  of  Ne^ 
braska,  Hon.  Mr.  Lawrence  of  Ohio,  Hon.  John  B.  Alley  of 
Mass.,  Dr.  Wisewell,  and  others. 

Mr.  Lawrence  of  Ohio,  offered  the  following  resolutions 
which  were  unanimously  adopted  : 

"  Whereas,  An  excursion  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen 
from  various  places  in  -both  hemispheres,  started  from  New 
York  city  on  the  evening  of  October  15th,  1866,  to  visit  the 
Union  Pacific  Eailroad  so  far  as  finished,  to  a  point  west  of 
the  hundreth  meridian  of  west  longitude  ;  and 

"  Whereas,  Said  excursionists,  with  many  others  who  have 
joined  them  on  the  route,  have  this  day  reached  said  destina- 

5 


98  WESTEKN  INCIDENTS. 

tion,  at  a  point  on  said  railroad  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  miles  west  of  Omaha  ;  and 

"  Whereas,  Said  excursionists  have  passed  over  all  or 
parts  of  the  following  railways,  and  lines  of  travel,  to-wit : — 
the  New  Jersey  Central  Eailroad ;  the  Allentown  Railroad  ; 
the  Pennsylvania  Central  Railroad ;  the  Pittsburg,  Fort 
Wayne  and  Chicago  Railroad  ;  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and 
Quincy  Railroad  ;  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railroad ;  the 
Des  Moines  Valley  Railroad;  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph 
Railroad  ;  the  steamers  Denver  and  Colorado  from  St.  Joseph 
to  Omaha  ;  and  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad. 

"  And  Whereas,  This  excursion  was  designed  to  celebrate  the 
formal  opening  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad — so  far  as  fin- 
ished— for  travel  and  the  transportation  of  commerce  to  and 
from  the  great  interior  of,  and  across,  the  North  American 
continent,  with  its  vast  agricultural  and  mineral  resources. 

"  Resolved,  That  this  excursion  party  here  assembled  in 
the  centre  of  this  vast  continent,  now  offer  up  our  heartfelt 
gratitude  and  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  His  manifold  bless- 
ings, among  which  we  enumerate  that  country  subject  to 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States  of  America,  republican 
institutions,  civil  and  religious  liberty,  the  freedom  of  speech 
and  the  press,  a  Union  unbroken  and  indestructible,  with  all 
the  material  resources  necessary  for  the  comfort  of  mankind 
in  a  high  and  rapidly  advancing  state  of  development;  and 
with  a  vast  net-work  of  railroads  and  telegraphs  essential 
not  only  to  our  national  prosperity  and  the  interests  of  all  our 
people ;  but  also  to  the  civilization  and  commerce  of  the  world, 
including  among  the  most  important  of  them  all,  that  vast 
work — THE  UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 

"  Resolved ,  That  it  is  the  deliberate  opinion  of  this  excur- 
sion party  that  our  nation  and  the  world  have  abundant 
reason  to  rejoice  that  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  was  pro- 
jected, and  is  in  successful  progress  to  completion,  and  we 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  99 

congratulate  mankind  at  the  success  of  this  magnificent  enter- 
prise. 

"  Resolved,  That  our  thanks  are  due  and  are  hereby  ten- 
dered to  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad  Company  for  their  energy 
and  enterprise  in  the  rapid  construction  of  their  railroad,  as 
well  as  for  their  excursion,  celebrating  thus  far  the  opening 
of  their  railroad. 

"  Resolved,  That  Thomas  C.  Durant,  the  Vice-President  and 
General  Manager  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  and 
his  subordinates  in  its  direction,  deserve  and  have  our  sincere 
thanks  for  this  excursion  and  for  the  energy  and  enterprise 
they  have  displayed  in  organizing  and  conducting  it ;  and  for 
the  splendid  and  unsurpassed  accommodations  provided  for 
the  convenience  and  comfort  of  the  excursionists. 

"  Resolved,  That  our  thanks  are  due  and  hereby  tendered 
to  the  Central  Transportation  Company  for  the  splendid 
'  Palace  Sleeping  Cars/  so  generously  furnished  by  them  for 
this  Excursion, 

"  Resolved,  That  our  thanks  are  due  and  are  hereby  ten- 
dered to  George  M.  Pullman,  Esq.,  of  Chicago,  for  his  liberal 
hospitality  and  generosity  in  furnishing  the  magnificent  train 
of  'Palace  Sleeping  Cars/  for  our  party  over  the  Chicago  and 
Quincy  Railroad,  and  for  the  sumptuous  entertainment  pro- 
vided at  his  instance  by  the  prince  of  caterers,  '  Kinsley/  of 
Chicago. 

"  Resolved,  That  our  thanks  are  due  and  are  hereby  ten- 
dered to  Governor  Alvin  Saunders  of  Nebraska,  for  the  cor- 
dial welcome  to  this  Territory  which  he  extended  to  our  party 
at  Omaha ;  and  to  the  Mayor  and  Council  of  Omaha,  and  to 
the  people  of  that  city  for  the  hospitalities  and  the  splendid 
entertainment  given  us  during  our  stay  at  that  flourishing 
capital. 

"  Resolved,  That  our  thanks  are  in  like  manner  extended  to 
the  several  Railroad  Companies  of  the  lines  of  road  over 


100  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

which  we  have  passed,  and  to  the  officers  and  crews  of  the 
steamers  '  Denver/  and  '  Colorado/  on  the  Missouri  River,  for 
the  excellent  accommodations  and  safe  and  speedy  transpor- 
tation furnished  by  them  each  and  all  for  our  large  party. 

Hon.  WM.  LAWRENCE,  of  Ohio. 

"   E.  H.  BAKER,  Mass. 

"  A.  C.  SCHELL,  New  York. 

"  JOHN  H.  FARQUAR,  Indiana. 
Col.  R.  H.  JENKS,  Penn. 
JOSEPH  MEDILL,  Illinois. 
Gen.  J.  M.  THAYER,  Nebraska." 


END   OF  THE   TRACK  FOUND   AT  LAST. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  party  started,  as  per  announce- 
ment, in  the  train  for  the  end  of  the  track,  which  was 
finally  found  some  eight  or  ten  miles  still  farther  west. 

On  the  way  to  the  end  of  the  track,  we  met  one  of  Mr. 
Durant's  foraging  parties,  on  horseback,  laden  with  ante- 
lope and  other  game  for  the  table.  This  party  reported 
that  the  party  which  had  previously  been  sent  out  to 
hunt  for  buffalo,  had  been  quite  successful,  but  unfortu- 
nately, as  they  were  returning  to  camp,  they  met  with  a 
strong  party  of  Indians,  who  took  their  buffaloes  from 
them,  and  spared  their  lives  only  on  condition  that  they 
should  never  be  found  again  upon  their  hunting-grounds. 

Some  hours  were  spent  by  the  party  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  end  of  the  track,  in  observing  the  process  adopted 
by  those  great  trackiste*  General  and  Daniel  Casement,  in 
laying  the  track,  subsisting  their  men,  distributing  materi- 
als, etc.  Photographic  pictures  were  also  taken  by  the 
celebrated  Vieivist,  Professor  Carbutt  of  Chicago,  of  the 
construction  train ;  and  also  various  groupings  of  the  offi- 
cers of  the  road  and  excursionists.  The  sJiootists  of  the 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILROAD.  101 

party  amused  themselves  by  firing  at  marks,  or  other 
objects  on  the  distant  bluffs  and  river.  Senator  Wade 
of  Ohio,  distinguished  himself  by  making  several  fine 
shots  with  the  little  Ballard  rifle,  which  had  recently  done 
such  excellent  execution  among  the  elk  and  antelope  of 
the  Eocky  Mountains  ;  and  he  finally  became  so  much 
attached  to  the  rifle,  that  he  would  not  allow  his  photo- 
graph to  be  taken  without  holding  it  in  his  hand.  A 
general  abandon  seemed  to  pervade  the  entire  party ;  and 
every  one  appeared  inclined  to  yield  to  the  influence  of  the 
quiet  and  majestic  repose,  which  reigned  supreme  over 
all  the  vast  plains. 

DINNER  IN  CAMP. 

A  sumptuous  game  dinner  awaited  the  hungry  excur- 
sionists on  their  return  to  the  camp  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  day,  as  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  fol- 
lowing bill  of  fare,  a  printed  copy  of  which  was  found 
beside  the  plate  of  each  guest : — 

UNION  PACIFIC  KAILEOAD  EXCUKSION. 


BILL   OF    FARE. 

PLATTE  CITY,  NEBRASKA. 
HOXIE  HOUSE,   October  25,  1866. 
ROAST. 

Beef.  Mutton.          Lamb,  with  Green  Peas.  Brazen  Ox. 

Tongue.  Maccaroni  a  la  Italian. 

BOILED. 
Mutton.  Tongue.  Ham.  Corned  Beef. 

GAME. 

Antelope,  Boasted  Sardine  Salid.  Koman  Goose. 

Chinese  Duck. 


102  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

VEGETABLES. 

Peas.  Tomatoes.  Asparagus.  Mashed  Potatoes. 

RELISHES. 

London  Club  Sauce.  Worcestershire  Sauce.  Horrey  Sauce. 

Pickles.  Pineapple  Cheese.  Swiss  Cheese. 

PASTRY. 

Pies.        Strawberries.        Damson.        Peach.        Cherry. 

FRUITS. 

Apples.  Pineapples. 

To  which  should  be  added,  as  representing  the  princi- 
pal feature  of  the  unpublished  wine  list : 

THE    UNION    PACIFIC    RAILROAD, 

VEEZENA  Y. 
VE   MAX  SUTAINE   ET   CIE. 

T.     -W.      &C     0-.     3D.      33  .A.  -5T  .A.  TJ  3D, 

Sole  Agents  for  United  States  and  Canada. 


The  following  special  notices  appeared  in  the  evening 
edition  of  the  Railway  Pioneer : 

SPECIAL  NOTICE. 

A  concert  will  be  given  this  evening  at  Bunker  Hall,  by  the  celebrated 
Northwestern  Band  of  Chicago.  Tickets  for  sale  at  all  principal  hotels, 
and  at  the  door. 

Doors  open  at  7$-  o'clock ;  performance  to  commence  at  8  o'clock 
precisely. 

Seven  locomotives  were  at  the  depot  in  this  city,  this  morning. 

Eastern  papers  desiring  an  exchange  with  the  Pioneer,  will  be  placed 
upon  our  exchange  list  by  publishing  our  prospectus  three  times  in  their 
daily  and  one  month  in  their  weekly  issues. 

A  photograph  gallery  and  a  first-class  barber-shop  are  among  the 
recent  additions  to  our  embryo  city. 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILKOAD.  103 

The  excursion  train  for  the  end  of  the  track  left  promptly  at  11  A.  M. 
The  excursionists  witnessed  the  laying  of  about  800  feet  of  track  during 
their  brief  stay  of  half  an  hour.  Casement's  men  are  putting  down  the 
iron  at  the  unprecedented  rate  of  a  mile  and  a  half  per  day.  So  we  go, 
on  our  march  to  the  Pacific ! 

FIRE-WORKS  ON  THE  PLAINS. 

The  principal  attraction  of  the  evening  was  the  mag- 
nificent display  of  fire-works  from  the  stand  in  the  centre 
of  the  camp,  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  those 
distinguished  pyrotechnists,  Professors  Snyder  and 
Seymour. 

Rockets,  falling  stars,  golden  rain,  serpents,  magazines, 
Roman  candles,  together  with  all  sorts  of  eccentric 
wheels,  and  other  ingenious  contrivances,  were  to  be  seen 
and  heard,  shooting  and  whizzing  through  the  air  for 
more  than  an  hour,  much  to  the  amazement,  no  doubt,  of 
the  distant  savages  and  wild  beasts,  who  might  happen 
to  be  the  witnesses  of  this  first  exhibition  of  the  kind  in 
the  great  Platte  Valley. 

Later  in  the  evening,  the  grand  concert  at  Bunker 
Hall  came  off,  as  per  special  notice.  This  was  followed 
by  an  interesting  lecture  upon  phrenology,  delivered  by 
that  great  Bumpist,  Professor  Wells,  which  was  most 
amusingly  illustrated  by  a  reference  to  the  head  of  Mr. 
George  Francis  Train,  the  humorist  of  the  party. 

The  party  finally  retired  to  rest  in  the  best  possible 
humor  with  themselves,  and  their  hospitable  entertainers. 

HOMEWARD   BOUND. 

On  the  following  morning  all  was  commotion  at  an 
early  hour  in  the  encampment,  in  consequence  of  the 
following  bulletin,  which  had  been  issued  by  Mr. 
Durant : — 


104  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

UNION  PACIFIC  EAILEOAD,  HEADQUABTEES,  CAMP  No.  2, 
Friday,  Oct.  26,  1866. 

Special  Train  No.  1  will  leave  with  the  Government  Commissioners 
at  7)^  A.  M.  to  examine  thirty  miles  of  the  road. 

Special  Train  No.  2  will  leave  at  8  A.  M.,  and  will  unite  with  Train 
No.  1,  thirty-five  miles  east  of  this  camp,  arriving  in  Omaha  at  7  P.  M. 

Ample  provisions  have  been  made  for  those  of  the  guests  desiring 
to  take  the  stage  from  Council  Bluffs  to  the  western  terminus  of  the 
Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railroad.  The  Iowa  stage  ride  will  oc" 
cupy  but  ten  hours'  time,  and  the  trip  by  rail  thence  to  Chicago  will 
be  in  Pullman's  magnificent  sleeping-cars. 

Guests  desiring  to  remain  can  use  their  excursion  tickets  during 
the  two  weeks  next  ensuing. 

Parties  preferring  to  return  via  St.  Joseph  will  please  take  the 
steamer  Denver  at  Omaha.  The  tickets  issued  for  this  excursion  are 
good  for  the  return  trip  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph,  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy,  and  Pittsburg  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago,  and 
Pennsylvania  Railroads  by  making  application  to  Mr.  Creighton  at 
Pittsburg.  Those  desiring  to  return  via  Michigan  Southern,  Lake 
Shore  and  New  York  Central  Railroads  can  do  so  by  giving  notice  of 
their  intention  at  Omaha. 

T.  C.  DURANT. 

Professor  Carbutt  was  now  in  great  demand.  Every- 
body wanted  to  be  taken  just  as  they  appeared  at  the 
breaking  up  of  the  camp.  The  Professor  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  some  excellent  groupings,  as  well 
as  camp  and  landscape  views  before  the  train  started 
eastward. 

At  about  ten  A.  M.,  the  whistle  of  the  engine  gave  the 
signal  for  the  start  homeward.  Although  every  one 
seemed  delighted  with  the  trip,  and  satisfied  to  return, 
yet  many  longing  eyes  could  be  observed  looking  back- 
wards, as  if,  other  duties  permitting,  they  would  prefer, 
having  started  the  other  way,  not  to  return  until  they  had 
obtained  a  view  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  and  the  fabu- 
lous mines  of  treasure  which  are  hidden  in  their  embrace. 


UNION  PACIFIC  KAELKOAD.  105 


ONE  HUNDREDTH  MERIDIAN. 

The  train  was  halted  for  nearly  an  hour  directly  oppo- 
site the  monument  designating  the  point  where  the  line 
of  the  road  crosses  the  one  hundreth  meridian  of  longi- 
tude, for  the  purpose  of  enabling  Professor  Carbutt  to 
photograph  some  views  representing  the  excursion  train, 
with  groupings  of  Government  officers,  members  of 
Congress,  Directors  of  the  road,  and  excursionists,  com- 
ing to  this  point  from  the  west. 

This  being  accomplished,  and  the  train  which  had  been 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Government  Commissioners 
having  been  attached,  the  excursion  train  sped  onward 
again  at  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour,  stopping  only 
for  wood  and  water,  until  it  reached  a  point  about  four 
miles  below  Kearny. 

PRAIRIE-DOG-    CITY. 

Here  the  train  halted  for  nearly  two  hours,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  enabling  the  excursionists  to  pay  their  respects 
to  the  inhabitants  of  by  far  the  largest  town  through 
which  they  had  passed  since  leaving  Chicago.  This 
pleasing  duty  had  been  in  contemplation  as  the  train 
passed  westward  two  days  previously,  and  was  prevented 
only  by  the  lateness  of  the  hour. 

This  town  occupies  an  area  of  about  twenty-five  square 
miles,  and  the  railroad  track  passes  through  its  centre. 
The  visit  was  evidently  a  surprise  to  the  vast  number  of 
its  quiet  and  peaceful  inhabitants,  and  no  preparations 
had  therefore  been  made,  as  at  Omaha,  for  the  reception 
of  their  distinguished  guests. 

Their  native  politeness  and  curiosity,  however,  induced 
many  of  them,  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  train,  to  peep 

5* 


106  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

out  of  their  doors  and  chatter  an  incoherent  welcome ; 
but  the  salutation  which  awaited  them  was  not  of  a  kind 
calculated  to  encourage  a  protracted  acquaintance  of  even 
this  unsatisfactory  nature,  and  all  civilities  were  therefore 
soon  at  an  end. 

The  Tiuntists  of  the  party  soon  spread  themselves  over 
several  acres  of  the  town,  in  the  hope  of  securing  a  few 
specimens  as  mere  matter  of  curiosity.  Several  hundred 
shots  were  fired;  and,  if  the  accounts  of  our  brave  hunt- 
ists  may  be  credited,  at  least  one  half  that  number  had 
been  killed  ;  but  by  some  strange  fatality  or  illusion,  on 
arriving  at  the  spot  where  the  ball  was  seen  to  strike 
them,  they  were  not  there.  Only  one  was  brought  to  the 
train,  and  he,  after  being  subjected  to  the  critical  exami- 
nation of  all  the  excursionists,  was  turned  over  to  the 
cook  ;  and  the  last  that  was  seen  of  him,  he  was  rapidly 
disappearing  before  the  steady  gaze  of  Professor  Ayer, 
who  protested  meantime  that,  "  it  had  come  to  a  pretty 
pass,  if  this  grand  excursion  was  reduced  to  such  a  strait 
that  its  guests  were  obliged  to  subsist  on  prairie-dog." 

These  prairie-dog  cities  are  a  great  curiosity  in  their 
way.  They  generally  occupy  the  most  dry  and  elevated 
table  lands  of  the  Plains.  The  Union  Pacific  Eailroad 
passes  through  or  near  many  of  them. 

The  harmless  little  animals  are  somewhat  the  nature, 
and  about  one-half  the  size  of  the  common  ground  hog 
or  woodchuck.  They  burrow  in  the  ground,  and  evi- 
dently subsist,  without  water,  upon  grass  and  roots  in 
the  near  vicinity  of  their  town,  as  they  are  never  seen 
far  away  from  it. 

Tradition,  as  well  as  more  modern  authority,  insists 
that  their  apartments  are  occupied  conjointly  with  owls 
and  rattlesnakes ;  but  of  the  truth  of  this,  deponent  pre- 
fers remaining  silent,  remarking  only,  that  he  has  seen, 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILKOAD.  107 

and  killed  prairie-dogs,  owls  and  rattlesnakes,  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  same  town. 


FIRE   ON   THE   PRAIRIES. 

Beaching  the  lower  end  of  the  Platte  Valley  a  little 
after  dark,  the  excursionists  were  electrified  by  what,  to 
most  of  them,  was  their  first  view  of  a  night-fire  on  the 
prairies. 

The  train  was  immediately  halted,  and  time  given  for 
all  to  drink  their  fill  of  the  sublime  spectacle.  The 
flames  extended  in  an  unbroken  line  a  distance  of  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  miles  ;  and  one  end  of  the  belt  of  fire 
was  so  near,  that  we  could  feel  the  heat,  and  distinctly 
hear  the  roaring  and  crackling  of  the  devouring  element, 
as  it  swept  over  the  plains  with  almost  railroad  velocity, 
and  shot  up  its  forked  flames  into  the  sombre  smoky  sky, 

"What  surprise  awaits  us  next ?  "  "  When,  and  where 
will  these  wonders  end  ?"  "  We  did  not  know  that  this 
was  in  the  programme ! "  exclaimed  the  excursionists, 
little  dreaming  that  Mr.  Durant  had  given  private  in- 
structions upon  this  very  subject,  as  the  train  passed  up 
the  valley  two  days  before. 

RETURN   TO  OMAHA. 

The  train  arrived  at  Omaha  at  about  ten  in  the  even- 
ing. Carriages  were  in  waiting  to  convey  the  excursion- 
ists either  to  the  Hernden  House,  or  the  steamer  "  Den- 
ver," where  an  excellent  supper,  and  good  quarters 
awaited  them.  And  all  retired  to  rest,  "perchance  to 
dream"  of  the  "  loved  ones  at  home,"  whose  happy  faces 
would  soon  be  seen  again  ;  and  whose  ears  would  soon 
be  tingling  with  the  most  romantic  and  improbable  tales, 


108  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

of  Indian  fights  and  war-dances;  adventures  with  the 
Elkhorns ;  camping-out  on  the  great  plains  almost  in 
sight  of  the  Bocky  Mountains ;  living  on  buffalo  and 
antelope  meat ;  prairie-dog  towns ;  fire  on  the  prairies 
in  the  night  time,  etc.,  etc. 


DEPARTURE    OF  EXCURSIONISTS    EASTWARD. 

On  the  following  morning  the  continuity  of  the  party 
was  broken,  after  many  hearty  hand-shakings,  and 
affectionate  adieus,  by  the  departure  of  a  large  number 
via  the  overland  route,  by  stage  and  rail,  for  Chicago  and 
the  East,  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  C.  A.  Lambard,  one  of 
the  managing  Directors  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad. 
These  were  met  at  the  western  end  of  the  railroad  track 
by  the  officers  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Kail- 
road  Company,  and  a  delegation  from  the  Elkhorn  Club, 
who  accompanied  them  to  Chicago,  and  entertained 
them  on  the  way  in  the  most  princely  style. 

The  balance  of  the  party  remained  at  Omaha  till  Sun- 
day morning,  and  then  left  by  the  steamer  Denver  for  St. 
Joseph,  in  charge  of  Mr,  Hoxie  and  Mr.  Simmonds. 

Before  starting,  however,  the  crowd  was  called  to  the 
land  side  of  the  boat  by  Mr.  John  V.  Ayer  of  Chicago,  and 
Major  Wm.  M.  White,  and  invited  to  unite  in  three 
rousing  JElkhorn  cheers  for  Mr.  Durant,  who  was  just 
retiring  from  the  boat,  after  having  bid  adieu  to  the 
excursionists.  These  were  given  with  a  hearty  good 
will,  in  loudly  suppressed  silence,  thus  :  H — sh  !  H — sh ! ! 
H — sh ! ! !  Tiger,  H — sh ! ! ! !  and  then  the  steamer  rounded 
to,  and  moved  majestically  down  the  river. 

Mr.  Durant  remained  at  Omaha,  and  on  the  line  of  the 
road,  several  days  after  the  departure  of  the  excur- 
sionists ;  during  which  time  he  received  frequent  dis- 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILKOAD.  109 

patches,  informing  him  of    their  uniterrupted  progress 
eastward,  and  safe  arrival  home. 

Thus  ended  the  most  important  and  successful  cele- 
bration of  the  kind,  that  has  ever  been  attempted  in  the 
world ;  and  it  is  believed,  that  its  favorable  effect  upon 
the  progress  of  the  greatest  work  of  the  age,  will  be  felt 
for  many  years  to  come. 


110  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 


IX. 

PUBLIC  RECEPTION  OF  THE  EXCURSIONISTS  AT  CHICAGO — SPEECHES  OF 
MAYOR  RICE,  C.  A.  LAMBARD,  AND  UNITED  STATES  SENATOR  B.  F. 

WADE GENERAL    J.  H.   SIMPSON^    LETTER    FROM    NORTH    PLATTE 

STATION DEATH  OF  GENERAL  CURTIS CONCLUSION. 

NEW  YOKE,  Feb.  1,  1867. 

The  following  extract  from  the  Chicago  Tribune, 
giving  an  account  of  the  public  reception  given  to  the 
excursionists  on  their  return  through  that  city,  together 
with  the  speech  of  Senator  Wade  and  others,  on  the 
occasion,  affords  most  satisfactory  evidence  that  the 
anticipations  of  the  railroad  company,  with  reference 
to  the  favorable  effects  of  the  excursion  upon  the 
public  mind,  will  be  more  than  realized : — 

UNION    PACIFIC    RAILROAD. 

RETURN   OF   THE   EXCURSIONISTS   TO   CHICAGO. 

Formal  Reception — Meeting  at  the  Opera  House — Address  of  Welcome 
by  Mayor  Rice — Replies  by  Director  Lombard  and  Senator 
Wade. 

The  returned  excursionists  from  the  Far  West,  over  the  route 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  were  formally  welcomed  yesterday 
back  to  our  city.  The  Committee  of  Reception,  whose  names 
were  published  in  our  issue  of  yesterday,  met  the  excursionists  at 
the  Tremont  House  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  escorted 
them  around  the  city.  A  tug  was  chartered  in  which  the  party 
visited  the  crib  at  the  other  end  of  the  lake  tunnel,  then  sailed  up 
the  river,  inspecting  those  portions  of  the  city  which  lie  along  its 
variegated  banks.  Flint  &  Thompson's  elevator,  and  one  or  two 


UNION  PACIHC  RAILBOAD.  Ill 

other  objects  of  special  interest,  were  halted  at,  and  the  party  en- 
tertained with  a  description  of  the  modes  of  doing  business  which 
obtain  in  our  young  giant  city.  The  tug  having  performed  its 
duty,  the  party  proceeded  to  the  Board  of  Trade  rooms,  and 
tarried  a  few  moments ;  there  were,  however,  no  speeches  made, 
those  being  reserved  for  the  formal  reception  of  the  afternoon 
which  was  given  at  the  Opera  House. 

At  two  o'clock  the  doors  of  the  Opera  House  were  thrown 
open,  and  the  few  who  were  waiting  in  anticipation  of  that  act 
walked  in.  A  little  later  came  Vaas'  Light  Guard  Band,  pre- 
ceding a  delegation  from  the  Board  of  Trade.  They  entered  the 
hall,  and  took  their  places  in  the  orchestra,  and  while  playing  the 
overture — a  selection  from  Massaniello — the  citizens  came.  The 
attendance  was  not  large,  but  eminently  respectable.  Many  of 
our  oldest  citizens  were  there,  but  the  great  mass  of  the  business 
world  was  too  much  occupied  to  be  able  to  spare  an  afternoon  on 
so  short  a  notice.  The  lower  part  of  the  house  was  nearly  filled, 
and  a  few  ladies  and  gentlemen  occupied  the  balcony  circle. 

The  platform  was  occupied  by  the  excursionists,  the  Commit- 
tee of  Reception,  and  a  few  other  prominent  citizens.  The 
scenes  were  thrown  open  to  the  extreme  rear,  exposing  the  full 
depth  of  the  magnificent  stage. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

Hon.  J.  B.  RICE,  Mayor  of  Chicago,  called  the  assembly  to 
order,  and  delivered  the  following  address  ; 

"  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  : 

"  I  was  very  much  gratified  this  morning  when  I  was  informed 
by  one  of  our  citizens  that  I  should  be  permitted  here  this  day  to 
speak  a  word  of  welcome  to  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  have 
just  returned,  and  who  have  been  on  an  excursion  to  the  Far  West, 
and  are  back  now  in  the  city.  It  is  very  gratifying  to  me,  as  the 
Mayor  of  the  city,  to  find  this  demonstration  made  here  to  receive 
with  welcome  and  heartfelt  kindness  these  gentlemen  who  are  so 


112  WESTEKN  INCIDENTS, 

earnestly  enlisted  in  improving  our  country,  in  opening  our  great 
thoroughfares  by  which  cultivation,  commerce,  civilization,  and 
Christianization  shall  pervade  all  parts  of  our  common  country. 
[Applause.] 

"  But  little  more  than  one  week  has  elapsed  since  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  that  are  here,  as  your  guests,  left  Chicago  for  the  Far 
West  by  railway.  Since  that  time  they  have  been,  in  the  midst 
of  the  lodges  of  the  Pawnee  Indians  who  are  scattered  on  the 
boundless  and  fertile,  but  uncultivated  prairies  of  our  country. 
This  party  is  called  a  party  of  excursionists,  but  they  are  really 
a  party  of  men  of  energy  and  ability,  with  minds  to  conceive 
and  genius  and  talent  to  execute  this  great  national  work  which 
is  to  connect  this  city  of  Chicago  with  the  Pacific  Ocean.  [Ap- 
plause.] Where  could  they  expect  or  where  will  they  receive  a 
more  heartfelt  welcome  than  they  will  in  Chicago  ?  [Great  ap- 
plause.] Not  for  the  pecuniary  gain  alone  to  commerce  and  to 
agriculture,  but  for  those  higher  qualities  by  which  our  whole 
race  is  to  be  benefited  in  mind  as  well  as  in  body,  and  which  only 
wait  the  completion  of  the  work  which  they  have  undertaken  and 
are  carrying  on  so  successfully.  It  is  no  part  of  mine,  being  en- 
tirely ignorant  of  what  has  been  done,  to  explain  to  you  the  oc- 
currences and  the  results  of  this  excursion,  this  formal  opening  of 
so  large  a  portion  of  the  eastern  end  of  the  great  railway  line  now 
completed,  I  believe,  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  beyond 
Omaha.  Not  many  of  us  know  even  what  Omaha  is.  We  will 
hear.  In  the  first  place  I  will  announce  to  you  some  resolutions 
that  have  been  passed,  after  due  consideration,  by  many  of  our 
most  eminent  citizens,  some  of  whom  were  in  the  company. 
These  will  be  read  to  you.  After  these  have  been  read,  I  will  in- 
troduce to  you  some  of  the  men  who  have  been  there  to  see,  and 
who  will  tell  you  what  has  been  done  and  what  is  going  to  be 
done,  and  when  it  will  be  done.  I  call  on  Mr.  Rountree  to  read 
the  resolutions." 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  113 

THE   RESOLUTIONS. 

"  J.  M.  Rountree,  Esq.,  then  read  the  following  as  the  resolu- 
tions which  had  been  adopted,  and  were  submitted  to  the  meet- 
ing for  its  action.  They  were  unanimously  adopted  on  motion  of 
the  Mayor: 

"  In  view  of  the  appreciation  the  citizens  of  Chicago  have  always 
entertained  for  enterprises  which  tend  to  the  development  of  the 
resources  of  the  country,  and  to  our  power,  wealth,  and  unity  as 
a  people,  rendering  us  consolidated  at  home  and  the  special  objects 
of  admiration  abroad,  we  recognize  in  the  construction  and  open- 
ing of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  another  great  achievement,  re- 
flecting vast  credit  upon  the  American  people,  binding  together 
by,  we  trust,  indissoluble  bonds,  the  hitherto  widely  separated 
districts  and  peoples,  outlets  for  central  wealth,  avenues  for  new 
enterprise,  and  another  great  artery  through  which  shall  flow 
boundless  wealth  and  prosperity  to  our  city.  Therefore,  be  it 

"Resolved,  That  the  city  of  Chicago  does  hereby  tender  to  the 
Managers  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  the  excursionists 
who  have  celebrated  the  formal  opening  of  that  road,  its  most 
cordial  and  hearty  welcome. 

"Resolved,  That  we  esteem  the  projection  and  prospective  com- 
pletion of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  a  matter  of  vital  interest 
to  our  city,  securing  to  us  the  most  direct,  cheapest  and  conven- 
ient mode  of  transit  from  one  section  to  another  across  our  vast 
continent,  rendering  Chicago  the  most  prominent  point  on  their 
great  line  of  communication  from  seaboard  to  seaboard,  and  the 
principal  entrepot  of  ever  increasing  and  multiform  products  of  the 
vast  region  which  this  national  highway  traverses. 

"Resolved,  That,  in  the  name  and  in  behalf  of  the  citizens  of 
Chicago,  we  cordially  endorse  and  heartily  support  the  action  of 
the  National  Legislature,  which  has  loaned  the  public  credit  to 
aid  private  capital  and  enterprise  in  building  the  gigantic  work  of 
national  utility  and  necessity;  and  we  hope  and  trust  the  same 
public  spirit  which  has  actuated  Congress  in  behalf  of  the  Union 


114  WESTEKN  INCIDENTS. 

Pacific  Railway  will  be  exhibited  to  aid  the  proposed  improve- 
ment of  the  inter-State  water  way-from  the  Mississippi  to  the  At- 
lantic seaboard,  believing  that  such  pecuniary  assistance  will  be 
repaid  to  the  Government  one  hundred  fold  in  the  development 
of  material  naval  and  military  resources  of  our  country. 

"Resolved,  That  our  thanks  are  due  and  are  hereby  tendered  to 
the  proprietors  and  managers  of  this  signal  enterprise,  assuring 
them  of  our  highest  appreciation  of  its  magnitude,  and  for  the 
skill,  boldness,  and  ability  which  projected,  and  the  marvellous 
rapidity  with  which  it  is  being  carried  forward  to  completion." 

KEPLY   OF   HON.   C.    A.   LAMBARD. 

Mayor  RICE — I  will  call  now  upon  one  of  these  men  who  are 
engaged  in  this  noble  national  work,  and  in  doing  so  I  again  offer 
them  the  hearty  welcome  of  the  people  of  Chicago.  I  call  upon 
the  Hon.  Charles  A.  Lambard,  of  Boston,  one  of  the  Directors  of 
the  Pacific  Railroad.  Mr.  LAMBARD  spoke  as  follows : 

"  As  a  Director  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  I  feel 
bound  to  say  one  word  to  you  in  response  to  this  cordial  welcome, 
for  Mr.  Durant,  our  Vice-President,  who  is  kept  away  from  us 
by  sickness.  In  his  behalf,  then,  and  in  behalf  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  Company,  let  me  thank  you  for  this  kind  recep- 
tion. Let  me  return  thanks  here  in  a  public  manner  for  the  many 
kindnesses  we  have  received  in  the  West.  Wherever  we  have 
been  we  have  received  the  greatest  kindness  and  the  most  lavish^ 
hospitality  from  all  your  citizens.  Indeed,  sir,  the  devices  and 
ingenuity  with  which  they  have  insured  our  comfort,  safety,  and 
happiness  over  these  long  lines  of  railroad,  have  excited  the  ad- 
miration and  wonder  of  our  friends.  No  men  educated  in  a 
country  less  magnificent  in  resources  or  less  expansive  and  liberal 
in  influence,  could  conceive  or  do  more  for  stranger  friends ;  no 
men  less  learned  in  nature's  learning  could  have  devised  the 
mise  en  scene  we  have  so  thankfully  beheld,  and  so  successfully 
carried  out  a  plan  to  develop  it.  In  regard  to  this  subject, 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILKOAD.  115 

and  in  relation  to  the  great  enterprise  which  we  have  been  more 
than  seven  hundred  miles  west  of  your  city  to  celebrate  its  partial 
completion,  I  will  say,  it  is  an  enterprise  more  grand  in  its  con- 
ception than  any  which  has  yet  been  completed  or  conjectured. 
I  do  not  propose  to  make  any  very  serious  remarks  in  behalf  of 
the  excursionists,  but  let  me  say  they  never  will  forget  your  city  of 
Chicago,  and  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railroad  Company, 
and  its  gentlemanly  officers ;  we  will  never  forget  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad.  They  will  never  forget  you, 
Pullman,  and  you,  Kinsley.  (Great  applause.)  These  excur- 
sionists, Mr.  Mayor,  consisting,  as  they  do,  of  gentlemen  from 
almost  every  State  of  the  Union,  men  of  all  professions,  men  hold- 
ing high  positions  in  the  gift  of  the  Government,  men  and  women 
of  judgment,  will  carry  back  to  their  homes  new  ideas  of  the 
greatness  and  the  magnificence  of  this  section  of  our  country. 
Such  excursions  cannot  but  be  beneficial  in  their  influence  upon 
us  all.  Let  me  again,  sir,  thank  you  for  these  pleasant  hospital- 
ities, and  give  way  to  other  speakers." 

SPEECH  OF  HON.   B.  F.   WADE. 

The  Chairman  then  introduced  Honorable  B.  F.  Wade  of  Ohio, 
as  a  gentleman  who  had  seen  the  country  over  which  the  party 
had  travelled  and  would  tell  them  what  he  thought  about  it. 

Mr.  WADE,  on  being  introduced  to  the  audience  was  received 
with  loud  and  long  continued  applause,  and  upon  its  subsidence 
spoke  as  follows : 

"Ms.  MAYOR,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: — 

"I  feel  entirely  inadequate  to  express  to  this  assemblage  the 
feelings  which  I  entertain  upon  the  subject  under  consideration. 
I  have  looked  over  the  map  of  the  whole  country  for  a  good  many 
years,  and  at  an  early  period  of  my  study  of  the  geography  of 
our  country  and  its  history  I  was  impressed  deeply  with  the 
importance  of  this  location,  Chicago — and  about  thirty-two  years 
ago  I  visited  this  city,  or  the  site  where  the  city  now  stands,  for 


116  WESTEBN  INCIDENTS. 

at  that  period  there  was  no  city  here — there  were  a  few  rude 
buildings,  and  some  gentlemen,  attracted  by  the  location  and 
prospective  importance  of  the  place,  interested  in  its  future 
building  up,  and,  like  myself,  believing  it  might  grow  into  a  great 
city.  I  attended,  I  recollect,  a  court  here  at  that  time,  but  there 
were  hardly  any  inhabitants  and  very  little  to  do  in  the  court.  I 
cannot  describe  the  condition  of  this  place  at  that  time.  I  have 
been  over  the  city  to-day,  and  endeavored  to  recollect  the  sites 
where  the  important  transactions  were,  even  where  the  Court 
House  stood  ;  but  I  am  entirely  unable  now  to  form  any  definite 
opinion  where  the  place  was,  and  so  of  all  the  rest  of  the  city. 
We  have  all  heard  of  the  wonderful  and  amazing  growth  of  this 
city  ;  of  the  great,  bold  enterprise  of  its  inhabitants — the  whole 
country  is  deeply  impressed  with  these  sentiments,  but,  sir,  it 
takes  the  presentation  of  the  reality  before  us  to  enable  us  to 
understand  the  full  power  of  your  operations  here.  [Applause.] 
I  have  been  amazed  to-day,  as  I  passed  through  your  thorough- 
fares and  viewed  the  wonderful  progress  that  has  been  made  in 
that  short  period.  I  believe  that  to-day  you  constitute  a  city, 
third  in  point  of  population,  and  first,  I  may  say,  in  point  of 
enterprise,  upon  this  continent — [applause] — and  I  doubt  whether 
you  yourselves  understand  the  full  importance  of  the  position  on 
this  continent  which  you  occupy.  I  am  sure,  sir,  until  I  passed 
through  this  excursion,  I  had  really  no  conception  of  the 
importance  of  this  point,  Chicago,  and,  what  is  still  more 
important,  of  the  vastness  and  richness  of  the  great  country  that 
lies  west  of  you,  and  which  is  bound  to  contribute  in  the  future, 
so  much  to  build  up  the  second,  if  not  the  first  city  upon  this 
continent.  [Applause.]  I  have  always  been  a  strenuous  advo- 
cate for  a  railway  communication  between  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  Oceans.  I  have  never  doubted  that  it  was  a  political  as 
well  as  a  commercial  necessity,  without  which  I  do  not  believe 
that  our  great  and  glorious  republic  could  be  amplified  and 
grow  to  its  full  dimensions.  I  have  always  been  willing,  as  a 
member  of  the  National  Legislature,  to  do  almost  anything  that 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  117 

would  encourage  our  enterprising  men  to  engage  in  this  great 
enterprise — so  great,  sir,  that  the  minds  of  our  most  courageous 
capitalists  were  almost  appalled  at  its  magnitude ;  and  its 
importance  was  still  greater  than  its  magnitude.  But,  I  have 
been  over  the  ground,  and  as  I  passed  over  it,  sir,  looking  out  of 
the  car  windows  and  endeavoring  to  view  every  acre  of  the  ground 
we  passed,  of  the  most  fertile  character  I  have  ever  seen,  I  have 
realized  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  East  that  at  all  compares 
with  it.  Its  capabilities  exceed  the  imagination  of  any  man,  and 
we  can  hardly  arrive  by  our  imaginations  to  the  importance  of 
this  great  and  fertile  country,  when  it  shall  be  covered  with  a 
dense  and  enterprising  population,  and  all  those  fertile  acres  culti- 
vated, even  as  the  land  is  now  cultivated  in  the  Eastern  States, 
and  the  whole  of  its  agricultural  wealth  is  to  find  its  outlet 
through  this  great  city.  [Applause.]  And  that,  sir,  is  only  the 
commencement  of  it.  Its  agricultural  wealth  and  productions 
are  nothing  compared  to  the  mineral  wealth  lying  hidden  now  in 
the  mountains  of  that  region.  Why,  sir,  to  speak  of  the  political 
necessity,  some  men  have  talked  about  the  disunion  of  these 
States.  I  never  was  one  who  believed  in  that,  because  I  have 
never  seen  where  the  Almighty  had  erected  a  barrier  sufficient  to 
divide  our  nation  into  parts.  [Applause.]  You  rnny  look  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  to  all  our  extreme  southern  boundary;  you 
may  traverse  that  line  up  to  Canada,  and  even  there  you  will  find 
no  adequate  boundary.  [Great  applause.]  You  may  go  west 
from  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  traversing  these  vast  fertile  plains  over 
which  we  travelled,  and  you  will  find  no  place  for  an  international 
boundary  line.  No  secessionist  nor  disunionist  can  go  over  the 
ground  and  designate  the  line  where  disunion  could  possibly  take 
place.  [Applause.]  I  never  believed  the  thing  possible,  and 
with  a  genial  people,  homogeneous  in  all  their  sentiments,  their 
habits,  their  education,  all,  as  it  were,  one  family,  for  any  man  to 
suppose  that  there  is  anything  that  can  finally  rend  them  asunder, 
is  utterly  preposterous.  I  mean  to  the  crest  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  for  there,  in  my  judgment,  is  the  only  place  where 


118  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

any  separation  could  by  any  possibility  take  place.  And  when  I 
contemplate  that  and  see  that  vast  region  beyond,  rich  as  the 
other  in  agricultural  capabilities,  and  infinitely  richer  in  the 
material  wealth,  and  peopled  too  by  the  same  class  of  people, 
still,  sir,  I  might  fear  that  ambition  might  conceive  the  idea  that 
beyond  the  Rocky  Mountaius,  on  the  Pacific  coast,  a  great  and 
prosperous  nation,  separate  from  us,  might  be  built  up.  and  when 
I  contemplate  that,  sir,  I  think  I  see  the  necessity  of  intimate 
connections  with  that  people  by  commerce,  by  social  relations, 
and  all  those  ties  that  bind  nations^together.  [Applause.]  Not 
believing  that  there  is  any  danger  of  such  a  thing,  for,  for  the 
honor  of  that  great  people  over  there  be  it  said,  they  have  given  us 
no  intimation  that  there  is  any  design  to  separate  themselves  from 
the  rising  and  prospective  glories  of  this  great  republic.  [Applause.] 
But,  sir,  it  is  a  dictate  of  prudence  politically  to  cultivate  the 
most  intimate  relations  with  that  people,  and  use  every  facility 
for  connecting  ourselves  most  closely  with  them.  How,  sir, 
should  this  be  done  I  Man's  ingenuity  has  invented  no  other  way 
except  the  all-efficient  instrumentality  of  the  railway.  And  that 
is  sufficient  to  bind  nations  together  this  day  infinitely  stronger 
than  the  people  of  the  old  time  were  capable  of.  Therefore,  sir, 
I  do  honor  to  all  those  who,  either  through  patriotism  or  the  far- 
reaching  knowledge  of  their  own  interests,  are  taking  in  hand  to 
expend  their  capital,  their  thought,  and  their  labor  on  this  great 
enterprise.  And  as  we  proceeded  west  over  those  vast  plains, 
and  found  what  the  energy  of  those  men  had  done,  it  filled  our 
minds  with  the  greatest  degree  of  admiration.  As  the  gentleman 
who  preceded  me  has  said,  there  was  no  man  among  us  whose 
heart  did  not  warm  toward  the  men  who  engaged  their  fortunes 
in  this  great  enterprise.  They  have  prosecuted  it  with  an  energy 
that  astonished  me,  whether  it  did  others  or  not.  I  had  no  idea 
that  this  road  was  creeping  along  with  such  facility  toward  its 
western  termination  ;  and  when  I  saw  it  I  felt  glad  that  all  the 
votes  I  have  ever  given  in  Congress,  having  any  connection  with 
this  great  enterprise,  have  been  to  aid  it.  [Applause.]  I  labored 


UNION  PACIFIC  BATLKOAD.  119 

to  have  it  done,  long  before  it  was.  There  was  a  time  pre- 
ceding the  war — for  this  great  work  has  been  in  contemplation 
for  a  good  many  years — that  we  fought  this  thing  persistently, 
but  without  success  ;  we  could  not  get  it  through  Congress.  We 
sent  out  surveyors  to  prospect  and  estimate  the  cost  of  the  differ- 
ent roads  through  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  on  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  they  reported  that  it  would  cost  a  hundred  millions  of 
dollars  to  establish  this  road  there,  and  men  thought  this  sum  so 
great  that  no  nation  could  afford  to  engage  in  the  enterprise.  You 
all  know  the  arguments  used  in  Congress  against  it.  It  was  extrava- 
gant, it  was  enormous,  it  would  bankrupt  the  nation  to  under- 
take it,  yet  a  private  company  of  individuals,  aided  a  little  by  the 
Government,  have  gone  on  and  rendered  it  not  only  possible,  but 
have,  in  a  great  measure,  accomplished  the  work.  [Applause.] 
As  the  gentleman  who  preceded  me  stated,  we  traversed  the  road 
seven  hundred  miles  west  of  this  place,  into  the  very  heart  and 
centre  of  the  continent,  and  there  we  found  them  going  on  almost 
as  fast  as  man  could  walk.  Indeed  I  did  not  know  at  one  time 
if  we  should  be  able  to  get  to  the  end  of  it,  for  I  will  say  that 
they  are  prosecuting  it  with  an  unabated  energy,  and  with  a  unity 
of  purpose  that  is  perfectly  amazing.  Every  workman  knows 
his  place — every  one  is  as  busy  as  he  can  be — the  work  goes  per- 
ceptibly on  while  you  stand  there  viewing  it ;  and,  sir,  this  is 
most  honorable  to  those  gentlemen  who  have  this  great  work  in 
charge.  I  tell  you  that  five  years  will  not  elapse  before  you  may 
take  the  cars  here  and  go  to  San  Francisco  in  four  days.  [Ap- 
plause.] And  then  think  of  the  developments  of  that  great  coun- 
try which  will  be  disclosed.  How  is  it  now,  sir,  in  your  Rocky 
Mountain  region,  a  region  so  remote  and  so  little  known,  that 
ten  years  ago,  I  recollect,  in  Congress,  when  we  undertook  to 
divide  it  up  into  Territories,  we  were  puzzled  most  of  all  to  fix  the 
boundaries,  because  we  did  not  know  where  they  would  run,  and, 
if  you  look  in  our  work  you  \vill  find  that  we  have  bounded  them 
on  the  west  "by  the  crest  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  wherever  that 
might  be."  We  knew  not  if  there  was  any  gold  or  other  minerals 


120  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

worth  looking  after  there.  These,  however,  the  energy  and 
enterprise  of  our  age  have  disclosed,  and  the  question  now  is,  how 
shall  the  wealth  of  those  regions  be  developed  for  the  advantage 
of  the  nation  and  the  benefit  of  the  world  at  large  I  I  will  say 
one  thing  here,  by  way  of  digression,  that  there  are  those  \\ho 
look  upon  the  public  debt  consequent  upon  this  work  with  great 
apprehension,  but  such  gentlemen  have  not  been  of  these  excur- 
sionists. [Applause.]  They  have  not  looked  to  the  amazing 
resources  of  this  Government,  agricultural,  mineral,  and  other- 
wise. Now,  just  think  for  one  moment  what  amounts  of  gold 
and  silver  have  been  dug  out  of  these  mountains  under  all 
the  disadvantages  of  having  no  great  mode  of  communication, 
when  men  had  to  drag  their  heavy  and  ponderous  instruments  for 
getting  out  these  minerals  over  thousands  of  miles  of  untracked 
territory,  and  yet,  sir,  they  have  dug  out  those  precious  metals  by 
hundreds  of  millions.  Now,  think  of  the  vast  chain  of  moun- 
tains, extending  from  the  north  of  Mexico  to  the  remotest  north, 
running  through  this  great  Republic  from  end  to  end,  and  all  full 
of  these  precious  metals,  and  think  when  this  railway  shall  be 
accomplished  there,  when  these  great  and  ponderous  instruments 
so  necessary  to  develop  those  minerals,  shall  be  taken  there  by  the 
speed  of  the  railway,  and  that  great  mineral  region  shall  be 
exposed  to  the  enterprise  of  the  American  people  everywhere  with 
such  ease  and  facility — where  the  workmen  may  be  fed  by  rail- 
way communication — where  all  their  wants  can  be  so  easily 
supplied — imagine,  if  you  can,  the  immense  wealth  that  will  be 
developed  almost  instantly  when  the  railway  reaches  those  re- 
gions, and  then  doubt,  if  you  can,  the  ability  of  this  na- 
tion to  encounter  any  debt  whatever.  [Applause.]  And 
another  thing  occurs  to  me  that  I  have  no  doubt  will  take 
place  the  moment  this  great  thoroughfare  reaches  the  Pacific 
Ocean ;  the  whole  course  of  trade  and  commerce  will  be  changed 
by  which  all  nations,  ancient  and  modern,  have  sought  the 
great  and  rich  countries  of  the  East.  China  and  India  will 
be  reached  in  one-half,  nay  one-third  the  time  we  reach  them 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  121 

now,  and  they  will  find — for  self-interest  governs  all  these  things, 
whatever  the  pride  of  nations  may  dictate — it  will  not  divert  the 
course  of  trade  from  its  easiest  channels,  and  when  you  have 
diverted  the  course  of  trade  through  our  republic,  all  that 
Europe  uses  of  the  spices,  teas,  and  silks  of  the  East  will  come 
through  this  channel,  here  by  you,  the  people  of  Chicago. 
[Applause.]  I  tell  you,  sir,  and  I  say  to  this  company,  you  have 
a  right  to  be  proud  of  what  you  have  done,  for  you  are  revolu- 
tionizing the  commerce  of  the  world.  I  do  not  know  that  any 
man  can  now  form  a  judgment  of  the  exceeding  importance  of 
this  great  work ;  but  I  am  glad,  sir,  that  it  has  fallen  to  my  lot 
to  support  it  before  the  nation,  to  give  my  voice  and  influence  in 
its  behalf.  [Applause.]  I  am  glad,  sir,  that  it  stands  recorded 
there  that,  through  good  report  and  through  evil  report,  I  stood 
by  this  as  I  stand  by  all  those  great  thoroughfares  that  connect 
the  interests  of  this  great  republic  with  one  another.  The 
gentleman  alluded  to  that  great  international  work,  the  water 
communication  between  here  and  the  East,  almost  as  important 
as  the  other,  and  worthy  the  enterprising  people  of  Chicago  to 
bring  before  the  public,  and  I  trust  they  will  have  the  intelligence 
and  the  power  to  impress  its  importance  on  the  whole  people  of 
the  United  States,  so  that  that  work  shall  go  hand  in  hand  with 
the  other,  and  finally  be  accomplished.  [Applause.]  Therefore, 
again  I  say  to  you  that  the  importance  of  this  location  transcends 
probably  what  most  men  think  of  it.  If  you  are  not  to  be  the 
first  city  of  this  continent,  you  will  never  have  but  two  rivals — 
San  Francisco,  on  the  Pacific,  may  contend  the  palm  of  greatness 
with  you,  and  New  York  has  got  to  run  fast  to  get  out  of  your 
way.  [Laughter  and  applause.]  You  may  deem  that  an  extrav- 
agant expression,  but  recollect  that  New  York  city  had  to 
struggle  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  she  had  the  popu- 
lation and  wealth  that  you  have  to-day.  Look  at  her  history,  and 
then  at  all  this  you  have  made  up  since  1  visited  this,  then  bar- 
ren spot,  thirty-two  years  ago,  and  certainly  neither  your  intel- 
ligence nor  your  enterprise  are  slow  to  perceive  the  great  advan- 

6 


122  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

tages  of  your  location ;  and  what  I  have  seen  to-day  convinces  me 
that  you  will  not  be  slow  to  appropriate  all  the  advantages  you 
possess.  No  people  of  this  country  have  more  of  intelligence, 
more  of  enterprise,  more  of  the  American  Yankee  go-ahead- 
ativeness  than  the  people  of  Chicago.  [Applause.]  I  say  again, 
there  are  but  two  cities  on  this  continent  that  can  compete  with 
you  and  your  posterity  for  the  palm  of  greatness. 

"And  now,  as  to  the  excursion.  I  have  said  before,  and  I  re- 
peat it  here,  that  it  was  on  the  most  comprehensive  scale  of  mag- 
nificence that  I  have  ever  seen.  The  Company  have  stopped  at 
nothing  that  would  promote  our  happiness  or  bring  within  our 
grasp  all  the  intelligence  we  could  possibly  acquire  on  this  subject. 
They  stopped  at  nothing,  and  there  is  not  a  member  of  that  ex- 
cursion party  who  would  not  admit  the  perfect  organization  that 
was  brought  about  by  the  managers  of  the  excursion.  It  was 
thoroughly  organized — and,  traversing  this  continent  more  than  fif- 
teen hundred  miles,  having  to  use  different  modes  of  conveyance, 
transporting  this  great  company  from  one  point  to  another  with- 
out the  least  confusion  or  the  least  delay,  was  a  work  that  re- 
quired brains  as  well  as  generosity.  Their  arrangements  were  all 
perfect,  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  excursionists  was  as  great  as  it 
was  possible  that  it  could  be  made  by  all  that  human  ingenuity 
could  give,  and  I  believe  there  is  not  a  man  among  them  but  feels 
to-day,  in  his  heart,  gratitude  for  the  opportunities  it  gave  him  to 
be  acquainted  with  our  great  country.  Here  I  may  also  say,  sir, 
that  we  took  away  out  there,  among  the  Pawnees,  and  brought 
face  to  face  with  barbarism,  almost  the  entire  instrumentalities  of 
our  highest  civilization.  We  had  there  a  printing-press;  a 
morning  paper  was  printed  in  the  Platte  Valley,  beyond  the  hun- 
dreth  meridian,  and  while  the  Pawnees  were  dancing  their  wild 
dances,  the  printers  were  working  off  a  description  of  the  scene. 
The  spectacle  was  a  novel  and  a  gratifying  one,  and  I  doubt  if,  in 
the  history  of  these  times,  which  amaze  and  surprise  men,  there 
has  been  anything  more  surprising  than  took  place  on  those  re- 
mote plains.  With  the  printing-press  we  had  the  telegraph,  that 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILROAD.  123 

we  might  in  a  moment  communicate  with  our  friends  at  home 
from  that  distant  region  among  the  yells  of  the  aborigines.  For 
one,  I  enjoyed  it  more  than  I  can  express,  and  my  gratitude  to 
the  gentlemen  who  invited  me  to  participate  in  this  great  occa- 
sion is  greater  than  I  can  express.  To  the  people  of  Chicago,  to 
the  Mayor  of  the  city  and  its  officials  generally,  I  also  wish  to  re- 
turn my  most  sincere  thanks  for  their  abundant  hospitalities. 
They  have  done  all  to  promote  our  pleasure,  and  make  interesting 
this  great  excursion,  that  men  could  do. 

"  I  am  thankful  that  I  am  enabled  to  return  my  thanks  thus 
publicly  to  all  who  have  contributed  to  our  enjoyment,  and  with 
this  expression  will  detain  you  no  longer,  as  there  are  to  follow 
me  gentlemen  who  are  much  better  able  to  describe  the  scenes 
through  which  we  have  passed.  They  will  now  address  you." 

Senator  Wade  was  followed  by  Mr.  J.  C.  Dore,  the 
President  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  ;  Colonel  A.  W. 
Johnson,  of  Maine  ;  Colonel  J.  H.  Howe,  Solicitor  of  the 
Northwestern  Eailway  ;  Lord  Airlie,  of  England  ;  Hon. 
S.  S.  Hayes,  of  Chicago  ;  Hon.  B.  M.  Boyer,  of  Penn.; 
the  Marquis  of  Chambrun,  of  France  ;  Hon.  J.  "W.  Patter- 
son, U.  S.  Senator  from  New  Hampshire  ;  General  J.  H. 
Simpson,  and  others,  all  of  whom  spoke  most  enthusias- 
tically of  the  excursion,  and  also  of  the  Great  West,  from 
which  they  were  now  reluctantly  returning. 


G-ENEBAL  SIMPSON'S  LETTER  FROM  NORTH  PLATTE. 

The  following  letter,  copied  from  the  Washington 
Chronicle,  signed  "  Westward,  Ho  !"  was  written  by  Gen. 
J.  H.  Simpson,  U.  S.  Engineers,  and  President  of  the 
Board  of  Commissioners,  appointed  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States  to  examine  and  report,  for  his  accept- 
ance or  rejection,  completed  portions  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad. 


124  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

The  name  of  General  Simpson  is  also  very  honorably 
identified  with  some  of  the  most  important  surveys  that 
have  been  made  across  the  continent,  by  order  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, for  railroads,  wagon  roads,  and  military  posts. 

It  will  be  found  to  contain  much  valuable  information 
respecting  the  character  and  progress  of  the  work ;  and 
it  is  inserted  here  by  permission  of  General  Simpson,  for 
the  purpose  of  affording  the  latest  reliable  information 
upon  that  subject,  as  well  as  a  complete  and  official  refu- 
tation of  the  slanderous  articles  recently  published  in  St. 
Louis  and  other  papers,  which  are  evidently  hostile  to 
this  road,  with  reference  to  the  manner  in  which  it  has 
thus  far  been  constructed : — 


NORTH  PLATTE  STATION,  UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD,  ) 
NEBRASKA,  December  24$,  1866.  f 

Editor  of  the  Washington  Chronicle : — 

I  address  you  from  this  station  on  the  world's  great  highway,  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad.  The  distance  from  Omaha  is  two  hundred 
and  ninety-three  miles,  and  it  is  short  of  the  west  end  of  the  com- 
pleted track  twelve  miles,  making  the  total  number  of  miles  of  track  in 
running  condition,  west  from  Omaha,  three  hundred  and  five  miles. 
When  we  consider  that  two  hundred  and  sixty  miles  of  this  road  have 
been  constructed  during  the  present  year  in  this  out-of-the-way  country, 
to  which  the  iron,  rolling  stock,  pine  lumber,  and  many  other  essen- 
tials of  the  road  had  to  he  transported  from  St.  Louis  and  St.  Joseph 
by  water,  on  account  of  the  railroad  connection  being  incomplete  over 
Iowa,  with  Chicago,  we  are  struck  with  amazement  and  delight  at  the 
boldness,  enterprise,  and  energy  with  which  this  great  undertaking 
has  been  carried  forward  by  the  Company  constructing  the  road. 

A  road  constructed  with  such  celerity  naturally  conveys  the  idea 
that  it  has  been  caused  by  the  level  character  of  the  Platte  Valley, 
through  which  it  runs,  and  must  have  been  accomplished  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  good  character  of  the  track.  But  one  has  only  to 
traverse  it,  as  the  writer  has  done,  to  assure  him  that  this  has  not 
been  the  fact 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD.  125 

I  know  no  road  in  the  country,  except  it  may  be  the  great  railroads 
in  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  and  Michigan,  which  have  been 
perfecting  for  a  score  or  more  of  years,  that  can  compare  with  this 
read  in  the  general  good  character  of  its  embankments,  cuts,  ditches, 
station  houses,  water  tanks,  depots,  round  houses,  machine  and  car- 
shops,  and  all  the  other  adjuncts  which  are  essential  to  the  construc- 
tion of  a  first  class  railroad. 

To  ride  over  the  road  and  through  the  almost  limitless  valley  of 
the  Platte,  with  a  speed  equal  to  that  experienced  in  the  great  rail- 
roads of  the  States  I  have  mentioned,  is  to  start  within  you  ideas  of 
the  greatness,  power,  and  progress  of  our  country,  which  you  cannot 
get  in  any  other  way  in  connection  with  the  arts  of  peace.  The  power 
of  the  Government  was  shown  in  suppressing  the  late  rebellion 
against  the  rightful  authority  of  the  nation,  but  equally  is  it  now 
shown  in  the  peaceful,  happy,  and  yet  powerful  manner  in  which  it  is 
extending  its  influence  over  this  whole  continent,  and  ultimately  ex- 
tending the  blessings  of  Christianity  and  good  government  over  the 
whole  world.  Surely  we  are  in  the  hands  of  an  Infinite  and  Beneficent 
Power,  who  is  making  this  free  Government  a  great  instrument  for 
carrying  on  His  gracious  purposes  with  regard  to  the  amelioration  of 
the  human  race  ;  and  is  not  all  this  a  blessing  for  which  the  whole 
country  should  be  thankful. 

To  revert  to  the  already  happy  effect  of  this  road  in  shortening  dis- 
tances in  time  between  remote  places,  the  writer  received  a  letter  yes- 
terday, the  23d  instant,  post-marked  Washington,  December  18th,  or 
five  days  from  the  capital  of  the  country  ;  and  this  at  the  forks  of  the 
Platte,  three  hundred  miles  out  on  the  Plains,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
wintry  month  of  December.  Surely  this  shows  progress  towards  the 
Pacific. 

All  along  the  road,  where  the  Company  has  established  its  stations 
settlements  are  springing  up  rapidly ;  and  here,  at  this  point  whence 
I  write,  North  Platte  Station,  where  three  weeks  ago,  there  was  nothing, 
are  already  some  twenty  buildings,  including  a  brick  engine  round- 
house, calculated  for  forty  engines,  founded  on  a  stone  foundation,  at 
present  nearly  completed  for  ten  engines ;  a  water  tank  of  beautiful 
proportions,  as  they  all  are  along  the  road,  kept  from  freezing  by  being 
warmed  by  a  stove,  also  a  fixture  in  every  tank  house  ;  a  frame  depot 
of  the  usual  beautiful  design  ;  a  large  frame  hotel,  nearly  finished,  to 
cost  about  $18,000  ;  a  long,  spacious,  movable  building,  belonging  to 

6* 


126  WESTEEN  INCIDENTS. 

ft 

General  Casement,  and  his  brother,  Daniel  Casement,  the  great  track- 
layers of  the  continent,  calculated  for  a  store,  eating-house,  and  for 
storage  purposes  ;  together  with  sundry  other  buildings. 

To  this  point  the  Company  think  of  removing  their  offices  from 
Omaha,  and  establishing  it  as  a  more  convenient  base  for  furthering 
their  operations  west. 

The  great  idea  which  this  Company  has  in  its  aims  and  objects,  is 
to  get  this  great  highway  through  to  California  ;  and  it  is  this  all-ab- 
sorbing purpose  which  gives  unity  in  all  their  operations,  and  has 
been  the  main  spring  of  their  hitherto  unrivalled  success.  Already 
the  route  has  been  definitely  fixed  to  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  the  prox- 
imity to  an  air  line  from  Chicago,  considering  the  difficulties  of  the 
route  through  the  Black  Hills,  Rocky  Mountains  proper,  and  the 
Wasatch  Range,  is  a  source  of  heartfelt  gratulation. 

The  Government  Commissioners,  Generals  Simpson,  Curtis,  and  Dr. 
White,  are  now  here,  examining  the  last  completed  section  of  thirty- 
five  miles,  extending  from  the  two  hundred  and  seventieth  to  the 
three  hundred  and  fifth  mile  post  west  from  Omaha ;  and  they  express 
themselves  highly  pleased  with  the  admirable  manner  in  which  the 
road  has  been  built  throughout.  They  occupy  the  beautiful  car 
which  was  gotten  up  by  the  Quartermaster's  Department,  during  the 
ate  rebellion,  for  President  Lincoln,  and  which  first  carried  him  when 
his  mortal  remains  were  borne  through  a  weeping  nation,  from  the 
capital  of  our  country  to  his  home  at  Springfield,  Illinois.  The  Gov- 
ernment sold  the  car  to  this  great  national  railroad  company,  and  now 
it  is  used  by  its  officers  for  national  purposes  in  connection  with  the 
progress  of  this  highway  of  the  world. 

This  main  trunk  is  so  admirably  linked  with  the  Sioux  City  branch, 
the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Railroad  branch,  the  Hannibal  and  St. 
Joseph  Railroad  branch,  by  the  way  of  Atchison,  and  the  Missouri 
Pacific  branch,  west  from  St.  Louis,  that  all  these  roads  should  con- 
tinue to  be  fostered  By  the  General  Government.  These  branches  give 
equal  facilities  to  all  parts  of  our  common  country,  and  every  citizen, 
as  well  as  the  Government,  should  take  equal  pride  in  encouraging 
Ihis  greatest  of  all  enterprises. 

The  writer  had  nearly  forgotten  to  speak  of  the  railroad  connection 
with  the  net  of  railroads  east  of  Omaha,  by  the  near  completion  of 
the  Iowa  branch  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railroad.  This 
road  the  writer  rode  over  last  week,  from  Chicago,  as  far  as  St.  Johns, 


UNION  PACIFIC  BAILROAD.  127 

twenty-two  miles  east  of  Omaha,  and  certainly  before  spring,  if  not 
within  a  month,  the  connection  will  be  complete  all  the  way  from  New 
York  to  the  west  end  of  the  Great  Pacific  Railroad. 

Already  an  Express  Company  has  been  organized,  called  the  West- 
ern Transportation  Company,  which  is  in  operation  day  and  night, 
and  transports  freight  within  five  days  from  this,  North  Platte  Station, 
to  Denver.  This,  again,  is  progress. 

WESTWARD,  Ho  I 


DEATH  OF  GENERAL  CURTIS. 

Major-General  Samuel  E.  Curtis,  whose  name  is  men- 
tioned in  the  foregoing  letter  as  one  of  the  Government 
Commissioners  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad,  died  very 
suddenly  while  returning  from  this  visit  to  the  road.  He 
was  riding  over  from  Omaha  to  Council  Bluffs,  in  a  car- 
riage, in  company  with  the  other  two  Commissioners, 
when  he  expired  almost  instantaneously,  and  was  taken 
to  the  house  of  his  friend  Colonel  Nutt,  in  Council  Bluffs, 
a  corpse. 

Commissioners,  General  Simpson  and  Major  White, 
together  with  Col.  Nutt  and  Major  L.  S.  Bent,  accom- 
panied his  remains  to  his  home  in  Keokuk,  where  they 
were  received,  and  escorted  to  their  last  resting-place, 
with  distinguished  honors. 

General  Curtis  was  a  civil  engineer  of  great  experience 
and  good  reputation  ;  an  able  and  distinguished  officer  in 
the  army  during  the  late  rebellion ;  and  an  upright,  honest 
man,  respected  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him. 

He  was  one  of  the  earliest  advocates  and  promoters  of 
the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad,  both  in  and  out  of  Congress ; 
and  lived  to  see  more  than  three  hundred  miles  of  that 
great  work  completed,  and  accepted  by  the  Government. 


128  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

CONCLUSION. 

Since  the  occurrence  of  the  events  hereinbefore  re- 
corded, other  events  have  either  transpired,  or  may  be 
predicted  with  some  degree  of  certainty,  in  connection 
with  the  Union  Pacific  Bailroad,  to  which  it  may  not  be 
improper  to  refer,  in  closing  this  somewhat  prolix  and 
desultory  narrative. 

The  Directors  have  fixed  the  location  of  the  road  over 
the  Black  Hill  Eange  of  the  Bocky  Mountains,  upon  the 
route  followed  by  our  party  a  portion  of  the  distance  on 
its  return  trip  from  the  Laramie  Plains. 

After  three  years  spent  in  making  the  most  careful 
surveys  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Passes,  extending  from 
the  sources  of  the  South  Plate,  on  the  south,  to  Fort 
Laramie  on  the  north,  it  was  found  that  this  route  would 
be  much  more  direct ;  and  could  be  built  in  less  time, 
and  with  much  lower  maximum  grades  than  any  of  the 
other  routes  surveyed. 

The  route  as  located,  leaves  the  valley  of  the  South 
Platte,  at  the  mouth  of  Lodge  Pole  Creek,  opposite 
Jrdesburgh,  and  follows  up  the  valley  of  that  creek 
about  one  hundred  miles,  when  it  crosses  obliquely  the 
divide  between  Lodge-Pole,  and  Crow  Creeks.  And 
thence  across  Crow  Creek  to  the  divide  between  that 
stream  and  Lone-Tree  Creek,  which  divide  it  follows  to 
the  summit  of  the  Black  Hill  Range  at  Evans'  Pass. 
From  the  summit  it  follows  down  the  southwesterly 
slope  of  the  Black  Hills  to  the  Laramie  Plains. 

Beyond  this  nothing  has  been  decided  upon  with  refer- 
ence to  the  location,  although  several  routes  have  been 
surveyed  to  the  eastern  line  of  California. 

This  location  leaves  Denver  city  about  one  hundred 
miles  to  the  south  of  the  main  through  line  of  the  Union 


UNION  PACIFIC    RAILROAD.  129 

Pacific  Eailroad ;  but  a  branch  road,  over  a  very  good 
route,  may,  and  probably  will  be  constructed  from  Den- 
ver and  the  rich  mineral  regions  of  that  portion  of  Colo- 
rado, to  the  main  line,  within  one  or  two  years. 

The  route  through  Denver  and  Berthoud  Pass  was 
found  to  be  comparatively  impracticable — and  the  Com- 
pany could  not  consistently  bend  the  line  nearer  Denver, 
without  discriminating  too  much  against  the  through 
business  of  the  road. 

The  staging  from  the  end  of  the  track  to  Denver  is 
now  reduced  to  from  thirty-six  to  forty  hours ;  and  a  fast 
freight  line  has  been  established  for  the  transportation  of 
freight,  from  the  end  of  the  track  to  any  point  in  the 
western  Territories. 

The  track  laying  was  suspended  in  December,  at  a 
point  three  hundred  and  five  miles  west  of  Omaha,  on 
account  of  cold  weather,  and  the  want  of  materials. 
The  grading  is  completed  about  fifty  miles,  and  the  ties 
are  provided  for  more  than  one  hundred  miles  west  of 
that  point.  A  sufficient  quantity  of  iron  rails  has  been 
purchased  to  extend  the  track  to  the  Laramie  river,  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-one  miles  from  the 
end  of  the  present  track ;  and  if  an  excursion  party 
should  start  for  the  end  of  the  track,  just  one  year  from 
the  time  that  the  late  excursion  party  left  New  York,  it 
will  be  quite  sure  to  make  its  last  camping  ground  as  far 
west  as  the  Laramie  Plains. 

The  Great  connecting  link  has  been  completed  from 
Chicago  to  the  Missouri  Eiver  opposite  Omaha ;  and 
preparations  are  now  being  made  to  construct  a  bridge 
over  the  Missouri  during  the  coming  season ;  when  this 
is  done,  and  the  track  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad  is 
extended  to  the  Laramie  Plains,  the  traveller  may  ride  in 
the  same  car  from  New  York  city,  a  distance  of  nineteen 


130  WESTERN  INCIDENTS. 

hundred  and  sixty-seven  miles,  on  his  way  westward 
across  the  Continent — and  he  must  not  be  surprised  if, 
during  the  year  1869,  he  can  continue  in  the  same  car  to 
Great  Salt  Lake  City,  a  distance  of  two  thousand  four 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  miles  from  New  York. 

SO  MOTE  IT  BE. 


